Bonds
by MaliceUnchained
Summary: Kassai Lydana returns from her leave to take command of her new ship, meeting her Romulan counterpart again on a routine science mission. But the life of a Starfleet officer is never easy, and the trials that lay ahead could either defeat her...or kill her.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: So, here is the follow-on to my previous STO fic, 'Burdens'. If you haven't read that one yet, I suggest you do so, because it introduces the characters. Hope you like it, please review!**

* * *

The sleek shuttlecraft drifted slowly into the hangar, and its lone passenger gazed pensively out at the recently refurbished shuttle bay. She may have already commanded a ship, but that hadn't worked particularly well for the _Steadfast_ or her crew. The loss of life caused by the Romulans still wore on her conscience, no matter how often others told her she did her best - as far as she was concerned, she could have done so much better.

The pilot powered down the shuttle's engines and opened the rear hatch, turning to his passenger and commanding officer.

"Ma'am?" he prompted, bringing the young Bajoran Lieutenant out of her reverie. "We're here."

"Right, right," she said quickly, rushing to get up and straighten her uniform, brushing her hair back with her fingers and trying to remember if she'd brought anything with her.

"Your personal items have been taken to your quarters already, ma'am," the crewman offered helpfully, and Kassai Lydana threw her hands up in exasperation.

"Of course it has, what was I thinking?" she said, more to herself than to her pilot. "You'd think I'd actually know what I was doing now, but...never mind." She turned away hurriedly as her cheeks heated, embarrassed at acting like the cadet she technically still was. Even after commanding the _Steadfast_ for less than a week, and having taken a month and a half of enforced leave, she still couldn't get used to being a Lieutenant so soon after leaving the Academy, and even now she feared making a mistake that would result in the loss of her ship or crew members.

She fought back against the tears that burned in her eyes as she recalled the names of people who'd died defending the _Steadfast_ when it was boarded by Romulans, many of whom had been her classmates on the same training cruise - R'raak, Anne Potter, Razkii, Ash, and the countless others she didn't know who were killed in action. Zarva, at least, had survived, but only just, and she was on indefinite medical leave while she worked with counsellors to overcome the trauma she'd endured.

Lydana had thought about seeking counselling herself, but she'd felt reasonably secure after spending some time back home, speaking with the Vedeks and finding renewed faith in the Prophets her people worshipped.

Besides, she doubted there was anything a counsellor could do about her nightmares.

Before her thoughts could grow any darker, she realised she'd arrived at the turbolift she needed while lost in unpleasant memories, and she reached out to hit the button to call it.

Before her finger even reached the control, however, the door hissed open, and Lydana found herself staring at a welcome sight.

"Lise!"

"Welcome to your new ship, captain," Elisa said with a smile, and Lydana rolled her eyes.

"Stop calling me that, Lise, I'm not a captain yet."

She stepped into the turbolift alongside her closest friend, ordering it to go to the bridge, and Elisa shook her head.

"Captain is a position, not just a rank, Lyddie. You know that."

"I do, and I still don't think I am one," Lydana replied bitterly. "I lost my first command and half my crew, I don't think-"

"That's enough," Elisa told her firmly. "You can't keep beating yourself up over that. You did your best and brought back as many as you could, you've earned this command."

Lydana fell silent, slipping back into her darker thoughts. Without thinking she began rubbing her nose ridges, and Elisa snorted in amusement.

"Still nervous?"

"Hm?" Lydana looked at her in mild confusion, her hand returning to her side, and Elisa chuckled.

"You've been doing that since your first day at the Academy. I thought you'd have grown out of it by now."

"I'm always nervous, Lise. You know that."

"From what I heard, you weren't nervous when you were pulling our people together in the corridors of the _Steadfast_ , gunning down Romulans like a marine-"

"Please," Lydana said as the turbolift slowed. "Don't remind me."

* * *

The two officers walked out onto the compact bridge, and Lydana looked around with a small smile of satisfaction. She'd had chance to read up on her new crew members on the flight from Spacedock, and one of her bridge officers in particular was a welcome sight.

"T'Vrell, it's lovely to see you again," she said to her science and communications officer, and the raven-haired Vulcan inclined her head in respect.

"It is agreeable to see you again too, Lieutenant," T'Vrell stated in typical Vulcan monotone.

"Are you ever going to go back to calling me Lydana?"

"Perhaps when we are off duty, Lieutenant," T'Vrell rpelied, and Lydana scoffed.

"You're _never_ off-duty, T'Vrell, you love your work too much," she joked, and T'Vrell gave a slow nod in response.

"Then I suppose I will continue to call you 'Lieutenant', as is appropriate."

Lydana laughed, and nodded as she conceded the point.

"We'll catch up later, T'Vrell. It's good to have you back."

"Thank you, sir."

Lydana walked to the other side of the bridge, where a short, shrivelled-looking alien was working the Ops station.

"Ensign...Bolm, is it?"

"It is, sir," he answered, sparing Lydana a brief glance.

"How is Ops looking?"

"Much like Ops usually does, sir," he answered, and Lydana bit her tongue.

"I'm sure you know what I mean, _Ensign_ ," she told him, gently stressing his rank as a reminder that, despite her youth, she was still his commanding officer.

"Yes, sir, Ops is working within normal parameters," he replied, more formally this time.

"See, this is why I don't like working with Tellarites," Lydana told him, and he looked at her carefully. "I have issues with any race that views arguing as a national sport."

"And I have issues with Bajorans, sir," Bolm countered, "I get a bit sick of the whole 'we're so hard done by, the Cardassians were mean to us' act."

Lydana felt Elisa stiffen at her side, but the young Lieutenant broke the building tension with a musical laugh.

"You'll get none of that from me," she said, patting Bolm's shoulder. "I was born _after_ the Occupation. As you were, Ensign."

She led Elisa down the small set of steps that led to her chair, leaning in close to her friend.

"If he ever brings that up again," she said, her voice barely above a whisper, "you have my complete permission to punch him."

She settled into her captain's chair, slightly uneasy at how right it felt to take such a meaningful position, and Elisa dropped into the chair at her right.

"I don't know how I feel about being on a science vessel," Elisa muttered darkly. "How am I supposed to defend this ship with a pair of under-powered phasers and a single torpedo tube?"

" _You_ aren't," Lydana answered with a grin. "You're my First Officer for real now, we have a Tactical officer to deal with those concerns. Isn't that right, Mister Rhobas?"

"Aye sir," answered the narrow Andorian from above and behind her, working his Tactical console. "What few weapons we have are fully operational, although we'd do better if we used hand phasers and harsh language."

"Well I'll let you arrange that then, I know how... _passionate_ your people can be."

Rhobas laughed and returned to his work, and Lydana turned her attention towards the helmsman.

"Ensign Cobham, how is the helm?"

"A bit wobbly, sir," the fair-haired human answered, and Lydana frowned.

"Define 'wobbly'."

"The helm controls are fine, sir, but there's some fluctuations in the warp drive."

Lydana tapped her commbadge, her frown deepening.

"Kassai to engineering."

 _"Zytym here."_

Lydana struggled to recall her record, even as she spoke with the officer.

"Helm is reporting some strange fluctuations in the engines, can you elaborate?"

 _"She's still a bit temperamental from her repairs, sir. I'm aware of the fluctuations and we're aware of the cause, we're in the process of straightening it out now. Just for safety though, I wouldn't go above Warp Four until we've sorted it."_

"Thanks Zytym, do your best," Lydana acknowledged. "We may not be on a time limit, but I'd still like my engines running properly."

 _"You'll get them, sir, don't you worry. Zytym out."_

She looked at Elisa, who was idly rubbing her new rank pip. Admiral Quinn had decided that, if Flores was going to be the First Officer, she needed the authority the position demanded, so she had been given a promotion to Lieutenant Junior Grade.

"Seems like we're all set, wouldn't you say?"

"Aye sir, looks that way to me," Elisa answered, checking her chair's repeater display. "We have permission to depart from Dock Control, mooring tractors are disengaged, shuttle bay secured."

Lydana nodded approvingly.

"Very well then, Mister Cobham, take us out if you would, maximum thrusters until we clear the dock's vicinity, then take us to full impulse."

"Aye sir, any particular heading?"

"Until we have some orders-"

"Sir, we have an incoming hail from Admiral Quinn," T'Vrell announced, and Lydana suppressed the urge to laugh.

"Speak the devil's name, sir," Elisa offered quietly, and Lydana looked at her quizzically. Elisa gestured for her to ignore the comment, and Lydana stood as she ordered the transmission displayed on the main screen.

"Good morning, Lieutenant, I trust all is well?"

"Good morning Admiral, and yes it is," Lydana answered. "There seems to be a bit of a 'wobble' in the warp drive, but my engineers are locking that down now."

"Excellent, glad you've settled in. I have a mission for you, if you're ready for it."

Lydana hid a grimace, remembering the last time Quinn gave her a mission. That led to the deaths of too many good people, and many more being severely wounded, so she was unsure of how appropriate this mission would be.

"I am sir, but I would like to respectfully remind you that this is a science vessel - if we get into a fight, we'd do better to stand on the hull and throw rocks."

"I am aware, Lieutenant, and you need not worry - this mission is exactly what you and your ship specialise in." The admiral picked up a PADD from in front of him and looked over the details, explaining them to her as he did.

"We've been sent a request by the Romulan Republic, for a Federation science vessel to assist in determining the possibility of colonising Dewa Three."

"Dewa Three? But that's been uninhabitable for centuries!" she exclaimed, and Quinn nodded.

"Indeed, but recent scans by the Romulans suggest that the radiation levels have now dropped to within tolerable limits. They wanted a Federation team to assist their own efforts in verifying these scans, as part of our continued efforts to build a close working relationship with them. Naturally, I thought of you."

A science mission. Lydana had to stop herself from bouncing on her heels with excitement - it was what she had trained for, and what the newly-repaired _DaVinci_ was built for. It was an opportunity she couldn't ignore.

"We'll get going immediately, sir. Anything else I need to know?"

"Not at present. You'll be meeting a Romulan ship in-system, and you'll work with them to investigate the value of colonising the planet."

"Do we know who our contact is?"

Lydana felt like a fool for asking, but the prospect of seeing her newest friend was too much. She'd found Loraya S'Vae to be charming, friendly and charismatic, and during her time back on Bajor she found she had missed the Romulan officer.

"I'm afraid we don't," Quinn answered, his tone suggesting he knew why she'd asked. "Needless to say, they have as much interest in working together as you do, so there should be no difficulties in accomplishing your goals. If you have any questions, you know where to find me, but I'm sure I'm giving this to the ideal captain."

"Thank you sir," Lydana said bashfully. "We'll contact you if anything comes up. _DaVinci_ , out."

The screen returned to showing the starscape ahead of the ship, and Lydana returned to her chair in a flurry of excitement.

"Mister Cobham, set course for Dewa Three and take us to Warp four as soon as it's viable, if you don't mind," she declared, and Elisa hid a smile at how animated her friend had become.

"Aye sir, setting course for Dewa Three, Warp four in six minutes."

Lydana couldn't help herself. She'd always wanted to emulate the well-known captains, and she made a pointing gesture as she gave one declarative order.

"Engage!"


	2. Chapter 2

Three hours into the journey, and Lydana had become considerably less enthused. In her efforts to get the warp core working efficiently again, Zytym had been forced to actually shut it down for the better part of an hour, setting their arrival time back by more than Lydana would have liked. The upside of the impromptu descent back to impulse power was that the Trill engineer had managed to perform her work in almost record time, and once it was brought back online Ensign Cobham reported no further issues.

Now, with the ship proceeding at a vastly improved speed of Warp six, Lydana leaned back in her chair and kneaded her eyes with her thumbs. Elisa noticed the weary gesture, and leaned over to her friend with a concerned expression.

"When was the last time you slept?"

"Properly? About half way through the Academy," Lydana joked, still trying to blink the fatigue from her eyes.

"You should get some rest, captain, don't want to get to Dewa and find your too tired for science." She gave Lydana a smile, but the Bajoran just managed a less-strained grimace.

"You might be right," she conceded. "I haven't slept well lately. Add to that the change from a twenty-six to a twenty-four hour day, and my internal chronometer is-"

"Messed up."

"Yeah. That."

Elisa made a shooing motion, getting to her feet as she did.

"Come on then, Lieutenant Sleepy-head, get some rest. First Officer's orders."

Lydana attempted to complain, but gave up when she realised it took too much energy.

"Don't break my ship," she muttered, trudging slowly towards the turbolift at the back of the bridge, as Elisa settled into the Captain's chair in her absence.

"I promise nothing!" she called back as the lift doors closed, denying Lydana the chance to answer back.

* * *

Despite her tiredness, the concept of sleep unnerved Lydana. She knew, all too well, what waited for her in her subconscious, the things her mind insisted on bringing back to her in the middle of the night. Images of Vekaan, his brutal, personal assault against her. The faces of the dead, malevolent in their accusations against her, all of them enraged at her for causing their deaths. The voices of the living, damning her as unworthy of command.

The young officer shed her tunic, draping it over a chair as she entered her quarters. She pulled her boots off, before unfastening her uniform skirt and allowing it to drop to the floor in a pool around her feet. She padded over to the replicator in just her T-shirt and underwear, requesting a glass of Karva juice before ordering the computer to dim the lights, and curled up under her bed covers with every intention of reading her favourite book, Admiral Janeway's autobiography. However, she was too tired to focus on reading, and no matter how much she dreaded sleep, it rose to claim her quickly, the PADD dropping to the floor beside her untouched juice.

Just as she had for the last month and a half, Lydana woke screaming.

Even though the nightmare was already fading, she still remembered - with painful clarity - the feeling of Vekaan's fist smashing across her face, the follow-up blow that broke her nose. She remembered the feeling of breathlessness as he drove a knee into her stomach, and the burning agony of the disruptor shot to her thigh.

She swung her feet out of the bed and sat on the edge, just gathering her thoughts and trying to shake the memories that haunted her. She reached down and picked up the glass of juice she'd neglected earlier, sipping it before resting it against her forehead.

 _Maybe seeing a counsellor would be a good idea after all,_ she thought idly, but she quickly dismissed the idea. She was the captain - she had to be strong for her crew, be the one that _they_ could turn to in their own times of need.

She'd once heard that it was 'lonely at the top' - now she was beginning to see the truth of that.

Her door chime startled her, almost causing her to drop the glass. She steadied herself, standing up to leave the glass on the table and picking up her skirt.

"Who is it?"

 _"It's Lise,"_ her friend announced over the intercom, and as soon as Lydana had pulled her skirt back up she invited her friend in.

"Just thought I'd let you know we're about five hours away from the Dewa system," Elisa announced as Lydana pulled her boots back on. "I was about to-" she cut herself off as she noticed her friend's expression, the slight tremble in her movements, and she frowned. "Are you okay?"

"Just a bad dream, that's all," Lydana explained, not entirely lying while not telling the whole truth. It had indeed been a nightmare...but she felt Elisa didn't need to know it was a recurring one.

"Well, let's go get some breakfast, catch up a bit before I hit my bunk for a few hours. Clear your head a little."

Lydana nodded, standing up and straightening her uniform again. It wouldn't do for the captain of the ship to look less than a shining example, and she intended to be just that.

"Okay, guess I'm ready," she said to no-one in particular, turning to her friend with a smile. "Let's go eat."

* * *

It had been a relatively short meal, since Elisa wanted to get some rest and be back on the bridge when they reached the Dewa system, but Lydana had been glad of the distraction. She had been less glad of Elisa's disapproval upon learning Lydana hadn't visited her parents while on Bajor, but overall it had been a relief to have even a momentary break from command.

However, the fiction couldn't last forever, and Lydana made her way back to the bridge, her thoughts once again turning dark.

Prior experience should always be a positive thing, Lydana felt, but the fate of the _Steadfast_ and the majority of her crew weighed heavily on her mind. The _DaVinci_ had a much smaller crew compliment - if the same losses were applied to the small science vessel, every single member of the ship's crew would be dead or wounded. That sudden realisation almost resulted in another panic attack, but she managed to regain control of her breathing before the turbolift reached the bridge.

She would do her best to avoid any conflict this time around, but knowing her luck she'd end up walking straight into it.

She settled into her captain's chair, updating herself with the ship's progress while she'd been asleep. The warp drive's 'wobble' had definitely been worked out, all departments were reporting ready and free of problems, and they were only a few hours out from their destination. Her unpleasant thoughts were pushed aside as she thought of the possibility of seeing her Romulan friend, no matter how much she envied the taller woman's confident grace, her acceptance of command. Perhaps, Lydana thought, she would be able to learn something from the Romulan.

Eventually she shook off the idle thoughts, focussing again on her duties. With four hours left, she decided it would be a good idea to run a few impromptu readiness drills, just to break up the monotony of the journey.

She accessed the database from her chair's terminal to see what she could come up with, smiling to herself as she settled for a good, old-fashioned plasma conduit breach.

* * *

"We'll be reaching the Dewa rendezvous in approximately three minutes, sir," Ensign Cobham announced from the helm, and Lydana nodded in acknowledgement.

"Thank you Ryan," she said softly, resisting the urge to grin as Elisa settled back into the First Officer's chair and glared at her.

"A plasma conduit drill, not five minutes after I finally got to sleep. Was that _really_ necessary?"

"Someone has to keep you on your toes, Number One," Lydana offered, finally losing her battle and emitting an unbecoming giggle.

"And who's going to keep you on yours, hm?" Elisa seemed less than amused, and Lydana shrugged as she heard the ship drop out of warp. They'd finally arrived, and-

"Sir, we're reading several Nausicaan vessels in the area," T'Vrell announced, and Lydana gave Elisa a sideways glance.

"Well Lise, there's your answer. Shields up, go to red alert!"

"Reading a single Romulan vessel in the vicinity," Bolm announced from Ops, " _Dhael_ -class. She's putting up a fight, but against three Nausicaan ships she won't last long."

 _And just like that, I walk into it,_ Lydana thought bitterly.

"Bring us into range of the nearest ship," she commanded. "T'Vrell, ready the tachyon beam you managed on the _Steadfast_. Mister Rhobas, ready phasers and torpedoes."

A chorus of assents came back to her, and Lydana fought the urge to throw up. She had hoped for a nice, relaxed science mission, and here she was caught in another conflict.

"The Nausicaan vessel has spotted us, sir," Bolm stated. "Breaking off to engage us."

"Evasive manoeuvres Ryan, pattern...uh, Delta-Two." She cursed the momentary lapse in her memory, but she had never focussed on the tactical side of things. "T'Vrell, tachyon beam as we pass."

The Nausicaan ship spat azure bolts at the _DaVinci_ as they raced towards each other, the science ship suddenly diving and pulling to the left as Ryan enacted Lydana's orders. The _DaVinci_ shuddered under the brief assault, even as a beam of deep blue energy lanced out from their deflector dish and began sapping the Nausicaan ship's shields.

"Shields holding at ninety-three per cent," Rhobas called. "Minor damage on decks four and twelve, no casualties."

"Ryan, bring us around. Mister Rhobas, rapid fire as we bear, target engines and weapons."

"Aye sir."

Despite Ryan's rapid response to Lydana's orders, the _Oberth_ -class ships simply weren't built for agility. The Nausicaan ship was almost fish-like in its movements, but no matter how much they evaded, several phaser blasts found their mark. The Nausicaan's shields flared under the impacts, one of the orange beams slicing through the shield and biting deep into the pirate vessel's hull. Flame and armour plating spilled from the wound, before a secondary explosion ripped through the back quarter of the ship.

"Her warp reactor is going critical!" Bolm shouted, and Lydana opened her mouth to order more power to the shields on that side.

But too late. The Nausicaan ship's warp core detonated, the shockwave slamming into the _DaVinci_ like a hammer and throwing it wildly off-course.

"Shields down to fifty-two per cent!" Bolm called out. "Hull breaches on decks three, seven and eight, emergency force-fields holding!"

"Sensors are off-line, sir," T'Vrell stated calmly, and Ryan Cobham swore viciously.

"We've just lost impulse as well, sir, engineering is trying to get it back up."

"Any casualties?" Lydana asked, trying to keep the worry from her voice.

"Several wounded, but no fatalities. We got lucky there, sir."

That was something, at least. No deaths meant no additional accusers next time she slept, and she was thankful that no-one had been badly injured.

"How long until we have sensors again, T'Vrell?"

"I am working on that now, sir. I estimate a repair time of twenty-three-point-four minutes."

Lydana thumped her armrest angrily, glaring at the viewscreen which had also been knocked offline.

"Great, so we have no way of knowing if the Nausicaans are still around, or if-"

"Sir, we are being hailed," T'Vrell informed her. "It is from the Romulan vessel."

"Do we have visual?"

"Negative, sir."

Lydana sighed.

"Open a channel then."

A moment later, the Romulan captain's voice poured into the bridge from the speakers, and Lydana smiled.

 _"Federation vessel, this is Centurion S'Vae of the Romulan Republic. Do you require assistance?"_

She exchanged glances with Elisa, and gave a soft chuckle.

"I hope this isn't going to become a theme for our friendship, Loraya," the Lieutenant said, her smile broadening, and there was an audible gasp of joy over the comm.

 _"Lydana! Well this is a welcome surprise! Is anyone over there hurt? Do you need help with repairs?"_

"We're okay, thank you," Lydana assured her. "A few wounded, some damage, but nothing we can't take care of."

 _"Good, I'm glad to hear it. I apologise for the Nausicaan presence, they seem to have followed us from one of the other systems we visited. They shouldn't be a problem now."_

"That's a relief," Lydana laughed. "I was thinking, perhaps we should meet to discuss how you want to run this mission - we're here to support _you_ , not the other way around, so I'd say that gives you overall authority."

 _"A sound plan, Lydana. I'll gather our information and beam over shortly. I look forward to seeing you again, my friend. S'Vae, out."_

Lydana almost leaped from her chair, and Elisa shook her head.

"Well you seem happier," she stated. "Do I need to be jealous?"

"Oh, come on Lise," Lydana said, slapping her friend's shoulder. "We went to the Academy together, and you gave me the confidence to keep going when I was on the verge of giving up. No-one can replace you. It's just...it's nice to have made other friends, is all."

Elisa smiled back at the young Bajoran, secretly pleased that it had happened. She knew all too well how socially awkward her friend could be, and for her to have finally built a bond of trust herself was a significant step.

Besides, it couldn't harm the building alliance between the Republic and Federation, either.

"You have the bridge, Elisa," Lydana announced. "I'll go-"

"And meet your guest, of course," Elisa finished. "Go on, I'll update you on the repairs when we have anything to report."

Lydana walked as quickly as possible to the turbolift, while trying to maintain at least some measure of respectability.

Inside, however, she was bubbling with nervous excitement. She would be meeting a new friend, working alongside her while carrying out an incredibly important scientific mission, and it they were precisely what she had joined Starfleet for.

* * *

Lydana straightened her tunic as she entered the transporter room, offering a nod to the crewman at the transporter console.

"Have we got a lock on the Centurion?" she asked, and the crewman nodded.

"Yes ma'am, ready to beam her aboard at your command."

Lydana position herself in front of the transporter pad, in the usual place of a captain greeting their guest, and looked back over her shoulder.

"Energise."

A haze of blue energy appeared in over the pad, coalescing into the tall, lithe form of Centurion Loraya S'Vae, whose narrow features promptly split into a grin when she saw Lydana.

The Romulan strode forward, embracing Lydana in a gesture of friendly affection, and Lydana promptly reciprocated.

"It is so good to see you again, Lydana," Loraya told her, releasing her after a few moments and resting her hands on the Bajoran's shoulders. "You look well."

After she said that, Loraya tilted her head to one side, and Lydana looked to the right as she sensed the subject of Loraya's scrutiny.

She was surprised, however, when she felt the Centurion's fingers gently touching her temple, tracing a line down her cheek to her jaw. It was an odd feeling for the Lieutenant, who had never had anyone touch her face with such delicacy, and she shivered involuntarily at the sensation.

"The burns have healed well," Loraya stated, taking her hand away at long last, and Lydana was surprised at how disheartened she felt at the loss of the contact. "As has your nose. I'm glad you've recovered from your ordeal on the _Steadfast._ "

Lydana smiled weakly at her friend.

"Physically, perhaps," she said quietly, the first time she had admitted to anyone that she didn't feel like she had recovered fully. "Shall we discuss our plans over some lunch in my ready room?"

"A fine idea, my friend," Loraya agreed, although her expression showed concern for Lydana's well-being. "Lead on."

* * *

The shorter woman led her friend towards the bridge, and for the first time in over a month she felt able to open up to someone about her mental state - as she had implied, her physical scars had healed well enough, but her nightmares were a symptom of deeper mental ones.

Perhaps, she thought with a trace of hope, this mission would be precisely what she needed to heal fully.

"Elisa, how are the repairs coming along?"

The redhead turned as Lydana re-entered the bridge with her guest, standing in preparation to hand over the captain's chair again.

"Pretty good so far, sir," she replied, "warp drive is being re-tested now, shields are back to full strength, and the main viewscreen is functioning again."

"Sensors?"

"They were the first to come back online, sir," T'Vrell informed her, and Lydana nodded in satisfaction.

"Excellent, good work everyone. Lise, you still have the bridge - the Centurion and I will be going over the plans in my ready room."

"Aye sir, I have the bridge," Elisa confirmed, retaking the captain's chair, and Lydana led the way down the side of the bridge to her ready room's door, inviting Loraya to enter first.

"I have to admit," Loraya began as she lowered herself onto the small couch, "when they told us we would be receiving Federation science support, I didn't think for a second they would send you."

Although there was no malice in the Romulan's tone, the implication still hurt Lydana, and she attempted to hide her unhappiness by walking over to her replicator.

"Jumja tea, hot," she told the device, turning back to Lydana with a confused frown. "Why?"

"Please, don't misunderstand me," Loraya started, unwittingly responding to Lydana's fears, "I know you are a skilled officer and a very capable scientist. But you had just endured the loss of your first command, suffered numerous wounds of your own and been forced to come to terms with the deaths of a significant number of your crew. I honestly believed you would still be recovering."

Lydana gave an embarrassed smile and looked away for a moment, mentally berating herself for thinking the worst of her friend's intentions.

"What did you want to eat?" asked, changing the topic momentarily, and Loraya shrugged.

"I don't know, do you have Romulan dishes in your replicators?"

"Hmm...let's see."

"I know what you're trying to do, by the way."

Lydana gave the Romulan a questioning look, but didn't speak.

"You are trying to put on a brave face for your crew, to hide the pain that resides beneath the surface, but I am a captain as well. I am just as aware of the need to conceal certain truths from our crew, but...I am your friend, Lydana, and your crew is not in here. You need to talk about it."

"We have Viinerine, jumbo Romulan Mollusks, and Kali-fal," Lydana said, still facing the replicator.

"The Viinerine will be fine, thank you, but I'll settle for one of your...Jumja tea, was it? Now stop avoiding the subject."

Lydana sighed heavily, bringing over her guest's meal and a plate of her favourite Hasperat for herself. She sat down beside Loraya, staring at her drink momentarily before she finally began speaking again.

"As I implied in the transporter room...there are wounds besides the physical ones, wounds that still haven't healed. I haven't slept properly since the attack, I'm plagued by nightmares of Vekaan and the people I couldn't save, and I just..."

Her voice trailed off as she began to cry, attempting to cover her face with her hands out of shame.

However, Loraya wouldn't allow her to hide, taking hold of Lydana's left hand in her own right, stroking the back of her friend's hand with her thumb.

"I can honestly tell you, Lydana, it does get easier to bear," she said softly, "but you have to allow yourself to grieve. I am no stranger to trauma - before I joined the Romulan Republic, I lived on a colony world called Virinat. We kept to ourselves, we farmed, we traded, and we avoided conflict. It was a good life...until the Tal Shiar and their allies attacked us, for the crime of simply wanting to live apart from the constant fighting. I lost a lot of friends myself that day, some being captured by the Elachii for whatever purpose, some being shot down by the Tal Shiar...others died in shuttles and transports in the space above our world, trying to flee the attack. Tovan and I were lucky to escape on an old warbird, and even then we nearly didn't make it - it was only when Commander Temer arrived that we were able to survive long enough to join the Republic's fleet."

Loraya reached out and cupped Lydana's cheek with her free hand, gently turning the Bajoran's head until their eyes met.

"What happened will always be a part of you, but it can only harm you if you let it. The nightmares _will_ fade, in time, as will the grief of loss. But I know you can make it through, Lydana. I can see the strength in you, even if you do not."

Lydana said nothing, instead closing her eyes and resting her head against her friend's shoulder, and Loraya stroked the younger woman's hair soothingly.

"And remember - whenever we meet, which will hopefully be often, now that our superiors are finally in talks - you can always talk to me. I'm your friend, but unlike those people out there, I am a fellow captain - I know the burden you bear more than they ever can, and I will always be here for you."

At length, Lydana began to pull away, wiping the tears from her eyes and giving her friend a weak smile.

"And they taught us that Romulans were xenophobic and deceitful," the Bajoran said with a small laugh, a sound that made Loraya smile.

"Well, I'm clearly a genetic freak - I thought the hair gave it away," she said, gesturing to her long, almost violet locks, a far cry from the standard black hair of most Romulans. "Come on, we should go over our mission plan while we eat, or else your crew will get ideas."

"If they say anything I can throw them in the brig," Lydana offered, and the two of them laughed as Loraya took a PADD from her pocket, keying it live as she began explaining what the Republic had found so far.


	3. Chapter 3

The two women eventually left the ready room, having discussed the details of their plan, the transporter coordinates and the myriad other details they needed to establish.

"I'll beam back over to the _Leucosia_ , make gather my team and meet you down there," Loraya told the Bajoran. "This is the most promising lead we've had yet, and I really think this could be _Mol'Rihan._ "

Lydana repeated the word, her tone confused.

"Sorry," Loraya replied with a smile, "that would be 'New Romulus' to most other races. It will be a pleasure to work with you, my friend."

"And you, Loraya. I'll see you shortly."

The Romulan embraced her friend, tapping her wrist communicator as they parted.

" _Leucosia_ , I'm ready to beam over."

A moment later she dissolved in a beam of glittering jade energy, and Lydana instantly turned to her chief science and communications officer.

"T'Vrell, organise a science away team, with emphasis on botanists and geologists, and meet me in the transporter room. We'll transport down to the planet surface shortly."

"Of course sir."

As T'Vrell left her station to see to her captain's orders, Elisa looked around at Lydana with a frown.

"Lyddie, do I need to remind you about the regulations regarding captains going on away missions?" she asked pointedly. "It should be me going down there, not you."

Lydana scoffed, grinning wickedly at her friend.

"Lise, if we need any doors kicked down or any lifeforms blown up, I'll call you. But I'm a scientist - this is what I joined for. I'm not passing this up for anything."

"Somehow I think I'm not going to win this argument."

"You're not," Lydana answered casually as the turbolift returned. "And look after my ship! Remember what the Ferengi say - you break it, you buy it."

Elisa's brow knotted in thought.

"Which rule of acquisition is that?"

Lydana shrugged as she stepped into the lift, her expression indifferent.

"Who cares? See you in a little while, Lise."

The doors finally slid shut, and Elisa shook her head in mock exasperation.

"That girl is gonna be the death of me, I know it," she muttered to herself, before setting up some new tactical manoeuvres for the tiny ship.

* * *

A short while later, Lydana and her away team materialised on the planet's surface, and the Lieutenant immediately pulled out her tricorder and began issuing orders.

"Okay, fan out everyone, I want the usual samples of flora, soil, rocks...sounds like there's a body of water nearby, so get a water sample as well. I want us to get as much information as possible to support the Romulans here, and it'll be useful to know if there's anything they'll be able to trade to other races."

As her team spread out to carry out her commands, Lydana looked up from her own scans to see Loraya hurrying over to her, her eyes lit with joy.

"Have you seen this place, Lydana? It's beautiful!" she exclaimed, and Lydana smiled at her friend.

"It truly is," the Bajoran replied, taking in the vast trees of pale blue, the pink-hued flowers and the vibrantly-coloured animals she saw scurrying around. "The background radiation levels really have dropped significantly in the last few years," she remarked, checking her scans again, "seems like there's some ruins nearby too."

"We have some teams investigating those already," Loraya explained. "Come on, there's something I wanted you to check out. I'm no scientist, so maybe you can understand it better."

The Romulan led Lydana over to a small rock formation, inviting her to take her own scans of it.

"I can't be sure, but I think there's something in the rocks that may have helped reduce the radiation," Loraya offered, and Lydana nodded in agreement.

"It looks like they have a high lead content, which would certainly have helped," Lydana mused, continuing to examine her tricroder. "I wouldn't mind getting a closer look at the water though, see if there's anything there that contributed."

"There's a river down this way," Loraya offered, gesturing towards a small, naturally occurring trail through the forest. "It'll be a pleasant change of pace for you. Let's go."

* * *

"May I ask you something...personal?" Loraya asked, as Lydana slipped her boots off and slowly walked into the river shallows.

"Well, _that_ sounds ominous," the Bajoran joked, carrying out more scans of the water and surrounding scenery.

"Well, when I was assisting you and your crew on the _Steadfast_ , I overheard many of them speaking of their loved ones - family, spouses or lovers. And yet, I've not heard the same from you. May I ask why?"

Lydana's cheeks reddened at the probing question, since it was a topic she didn't like to discuss most of the time.

"I don't really talk to my parents," she explained, deliberately trying to lead the interrogation away from her love life. "My mother wanted me to join the temple and become a Vedek. My father wanted me to join the Bajoran Militia. I looked up at the stars every night as a child and only ever wanted to be in Starfleet. It probably didn't help my parents' case that Starfleet has been a part of Bajor's life for a while now, what with Deep Space Nine sitting on the wormhole."

"No siblings?"

Lydana shook her head.

"An only child. I think something happened when I was born that stopped my mother being able to bear children."

She crouched in the water, pulling the hem of her uniform skirt up an inch so as to avoid it getting wet. "The life on this world is amazing," she remarked, gazing at the small fish in the river. "I'm astounded so much life has thrived here."

"No spouse?"

 _Damn it._ Lydana had thought she'd succeeded in avoiding that part, and the blush on her cheeks grew darker.

"I-I don't...n-no, no spouse."

"Really?" Loraya pulled off her own boots, joining her friend in the water. "That's surprising. How come?"

Lydana almost choked at the _very_ personal nature of the questions, feeling extremely shy about discussing the matter. It was bad enough that her mother had nagged at her on a regular basis about her romantic connections - or lack thereof - but to be asked about it _now,_ and so innocently, was somehow worse.

"I...w-why would you want to know that?" Lydana could barely disguise the blush on her cheeks now, and she felt like they were overheating.

"I'm simply curious," Loraya answered with a shrug.

Lydana straightened up, heaving a long, weary sigh as she did.

"I...I don't know," she answered softly, as if she was ashamed of the fact. "I suppose it hasn't helped that I've always been...what did Elisa say? 'Socially awkward', that was it. I'm not a confident person, and coupled with my dedication to my field, I guess...I never really got involved with anyone."

She expected ridicule or laughter, and yet she knew she should've expected better from her friend, considerably more mature than a lot of people she'd met at the Academy.

"I'm sorry for probing," Loraya told her, "I just...I wanted to get to know you, that's all. We didn't have a lot of chance for that last time."

Lydana turned back to her friend, brushing wet soil from her hands as she walked back to the riverside.

"Then here's an idea," she said, sitting on the bank, "when we get back into orbit, why don't we have a...a sort of senior officers' dinner? You, me, and a couple of our bridge officers, and we can all get acquainted then."

Loraya nodded vigorously.

"Sounds good, I'd love to. As soon as-"

Her communicator beeped at her, and she held a finger up in a 'one moment' gesture, walking a short distance away to accept the transmission. Almost immediately after that, Lydana's commbadge twittered, and she tapped it in confusion.

"Kassai, go."

 _"Captain, we need you and the away team back on board,"_ Elisa announced hurriedly. _"We've got Tholians coming in, and fast."_

Lydana swore viciously. Tholians were technologically advanced and intensely xenophobic, which meant they were generally permanently hostile.

"Understood, I'll gather the team and get back up shortly. Kassai out."

She rushed over to Loraya, who had just finished her own conversation and was looking equally concerned.

"Loraya, we need to go, we've got-"

"Tholians, I know, we detected it too. However, the good news is that Commander Temer's ship just warped into the system as well, so we aren't alone."

"Looks like dinner just got cancelled," Lydana told the Centurion as they hurried back to the clearing where they'd arrived.

"Postponed," Loraya corrected with a chuckle, "you aren't getting off that easily."

In a few short minutes, the two women had rounded up their respective away teams and stood ready for transport, disappearing in hazes of light as their ships recalled them.

* * *

"Did you have a nice paddle in the water with the Romulan lady?" Bolm quipped as Lydana stalked back onto the bridge, and she didn't look at him as she replied.

"I swear, Mister Bolm, there will be a date with an airlock in your very near future if you don't shut up."

Lydana dropped her boots beside the captain's chair as Elisa vacated it, and settled back into it herself.

"I recommend we move in support of the _Leucosia_ , sir," Elisa advised. "We can't add much to this fight, but we can use our tractor beam to snag enemy ships, leaving them vulnerable to attack by the Romulans."

"Sound advice. Ryan, bring us into supporting range of the _Leucosia_ if you would. T'Vrell, ready the tachyon beam - that seems to be effective at draining shields, lets make sure we use it."

"And me, sir?" Rhobas asked from behind Lydana's position, and she thought about it for a moment.

"Take what shots you can, but try not to draw too much attention to us. We may have decent shields, but I'm not taking chances against Tholians."

"Aye sir."

"Mister Bolm?"

"Sir?"

"Watch those shield facings, if you don't mind. I don't want any more holes in my ship."

"I have as much desire to keep on living as you, sir," the Tellarite said seriously, and Lydana gave a humourless snort.

"I'd believe that if you didn't keep trying to wind me up," Lydana countered. "Divert auxiliary power to the shields and deflector dish, ready weapons."

"When this is over," Elisa said to her quietly, "you'll have to explain to me why you're blushing so much."

"Keep that up, Miss Flores, and you'll be joining Bolm in that airlock," Lydana replied with mock threat.

Any further conversation was cut off by Rhobas, calling out one final update.

"Here they come!"

* * *

Three Tholian ships, slender and knife-like, bore down on the _Leucosia,_ lashing the Romulan ship with bright blue streams of tertyon energy. They split up as they passed, one to each side and the third going over the small warbird, and each one fired an additional volley into the _DaVinci_ before sweeping around for another pass.

"Damage report!" Lydana called, desperately trying to think of how to tackle the situation.

"Port and starboard shields at eighty-three per cent, dorsal shields at ninety. Minor damage to the upper decks, no casualties."

"How's the _Leucosia_ doing?" she asked, trying to keep the concern from her tone.

"She's chasing down one of the Tholians," Ryan replied from the helm. "I'm trying to keep up, but this ship is a lot less agile than her."

"Just get that Tholian ship within our deflector arc," Lydana ordered. "T'Vrell, stand by with the tachyon beam."

As the _Leucosia_ lined up behind its target, a volley of disruptor pulses spewed from its cannon mounts. The dark green shots splashed against the Tholian vessel's shield, causing it to flare brightly for a moment but otherwise having little effect. Despite this, the _Leucosia_ continued firing, hoping to achieve through cumulative damage what they didn't achieve outright.

But the warbird was not alone, and Ryan's skill at the helm finally paid off. As soon as they were in position, Lydana gave the order to T'Vrell, and the Tholian's shield began to flicker as the _DaVinci_ 's tachyon beam began draining power from them.

Under the combined onslaught of the tachyon beam and the _Leucosia_ 's disruptor cannons, it wasn't long before the Tholian's shield collapsed, and both ships fired a single torpedo at the target. Both projectiles impacted at the exact same moment, and the Tholian ship was torn apart by the resulting explosion.

But it wasn't over yet. The two partners of the destroyed vessel swept back into the fray, making the mistake of splitting their fire between the warbird and the now-exposed _DaVinci_.

Lydana gripped the arms of her chair as the ship shuddered under the renewed assault, cringing as a console behind her blew out.

"Starboard shields at sixty-two per cent!" Bolm shouted. "Hull breaches on decks four and five, emergency force-fields are holding. We need to do something about them, and fast, sir."

"Thank you Mister Bolm, I noticed," Lydana growled through clenched teeth. "T'Vrell, status of the tachyon beam?"

"Recharging, sir. It will be available to use again in another twenty-seven seconds."

 _"_ And the _Leucosia_?"

"Her weapons were knocked offline in that last attack, and her shields are worse than ours. She needs some time to make emergency repairs."

Lydana swore violently, rapidly coming to a decision she was certain would provide her nightmares with fresh fuel.

"Ryan, move us into a defensive position near the _Leucosia._ Bolm, divert power from the deflector to the shields, draw from the engines if you have to. We're not hitting warp any time soon, so may as well use what we have."

"Are you sure that's wise, captain?" Elisa asked candidly, and Lydana replied with a subtle shake of her head.

"No, I'm not. But the Romulans are our allies, and it's what any good Starfleet captain would do."

"And the fact the Centurion is your friend has nothing to do with it, right?" Elisa's tone was doubtful, and Lydana leaned in close to her.

"Of course it does Lise, but I'd be doing the same if I didn't know the _Leucosia_ 's captain personally. Like I said, it's what's expected of us as Starfleet officers. Would _you_ do any different?"

Elisa seemed to think for a moment, diverting her eyes as she reached the same conclusion.

"No, I don't suppose I would."

"Then we're agreed." Lydana straightened up and checked her display, noticing the Tholians were coming in for a third pass.

"T'Vrell, lock a tractor beam on the nearest Tholian ship as soon as it's in range, and hit it with the tachyon beam the moment it's ready."

"Understood sir. Please be advised that we will only have a few seconds before the Tholians adjust their shield harmonics."

"That's all we need. Rhobas, get ready to fire the forward phasers on overload."

"Aye sir."

"Stand ready. All hands, brace for impact."

The pair of Tholian vessels tore in, both of them hammering the _DaVinci_ with streams of tetryon energy. With both ships firing at one target, the damage suffered by the aging science ship was significant...but not enough to stop Lydana's plan.

As the Tholians attempted to pass over the _DaVinci_ , one of them was caught by the ensnaring field of a tractor beam, holding it in place as its fellow carried on. Another tachyon beam from the science ship knifed into the Tholian's shield, and once again the flickering glare indicated the drop in shield strength.

"Phasers ready sir," Rhobas announced, and Lydana stared at the image of the ship on the viewscreen.

"Hold fire," she said, focussing all of her attention ahead of her. She was watching for that pivotal moment, the last possible second when the phaser burst would do the most damage.

"The Tholians are trying to remodulate their shields," T'Vrell announced, and Lydana repeated her order, only firmer.

"Tachyon beam offline. The Tholians-"

" _Fire!_ "

A split second before the Tholian's shield adjustments took effect, an overloaded phaser blast lanced into it. The timing was perfect - the enemy ship had no shields in the moment the phaser beam struck, and it bit deep into the Tholian vessel's hull. As they got their shields back up the vessel limped away, only to receive a rapid volley of phaser shots from the _DaVinci_ 's rear phaser array as it did. Its engines detonated in a spray of flame, before its warp core overloaded and immolated the entire ship.

"The third Tholian ship is breaking off!" Rhobas declared happily, and there was a cheer from the other members of the bridge crew.

Except for T'Vrell, who continued working her console.

Lydana, for her part, merely leaned forwards, resting her head in her hands as she struggled to halt another panic attack.

"How are we doing?" she asked, taking a deep breath as she sat up again. She coughed suddenly as she inhaled the scent of something burning, which was usually not a good sign.

"Decks four and five have had to be evacuated," Bolm informed her. "They took too much of a beating, ended up with a few fresh breaches. Moderate damage to decks six through nine, but emergency force-fields are in place and repair crews are on it. Forward phasers and the deflector are offline."

"Damn it," Lydana muttered. She'd come to rely on that tachyon beam, and without it her job would be a lot harder. "Casualties?"

"Belay that," Elisa countered, and Lydana frowned at her.

"Don't do it to yourself, Lyddie," her first officer said quietly. "Not here. Not now."

"It's my job to know, Elisa, my job to deal with it, and deal with it I will. _Casualties._ "

Bolm looked over the reports on his console, sighing to himself as he offered the information.

"Twenty-seven wounded, three of them critically. Three dead, including one lost to space."

Lydana buried her face in her hands again, as she realised that over a quarter of her new crew were now out of action. She fought with her own consciousness, trying to drag herself away from such heavy thoughts, and asked for a different set of information.

"How's the _Leucosia_?" she asked weakly, fighting back tears.

"Centurion S'Vae reports full operation again, but she wishes to speak with you personally. I can put her onscreen at your command, sir."

"Thanks T'Vrell. Onscreen."

The viewscreen ahead of her lit with the face of her Romulan friend, a small cut above her eye testament to some of the damage her ship had suffered. The view of the warbird's bridge didn't seem any more appealing, but at least Loraya was alive.

"Lydana, I am glad you still live," Loraya said with a pained smile. "I think we desrve that dinner after all this."

"I'd say so too, Loraya," Lydana responded, her own humour muted by the grief she felt.

"I just wanted to tell you...thank you. Your bravery in defending us saved the lives of many of our crew, and I will be making a report to that effect to your commanders."

"Loraya, you don't-"

"I also know what that must have cost you," Loraya continued, "and I'm sorry for any losses you suffered. But please, remember what I told you before. You performed your duty admirably, and the men and women of your crew know the dangers of Starfleet service. Do not allow grief to cripple you, okay?"

Lydana found herself unable to speak, as emotion choked any words she may have attempted. Instead, she offered Loraya a mute nod, and that seemed to placate her.

"Good. Once we've cleared this system, we'll make arrangements for dinner. _Leucosia_ , out."

Lydana heaved a shuddering sigh, and Elisa tapped her arm.

"Something you want to tell us?"

Lydana blushed at Elisa's suggestive tone, and shook her head vigorously.

"I-it's not like that!" she protested. "It's a dinner for us and our senior officers, there'll be several of us there. We-"

She was interrupted by a warning tone from the tactical station, and Lydana whipped around to face Rhobas.

"What is it?"

"Another group of Tholians, entering the system!"

"By the Prophets...helm, get us moving!"

"Sir, may I remind you-"

"Not now, T'Vrell! Rhobas, which side are they coming in?"

"They're approaching our port side, but sir-"

"Ryan, hard to starboard, put those incoming Tholians at our backs. Bolm, stand by to eject warp plasma from the nacelles, Rhobas...move aside for a moment."

She moved quickly, getting around to the tactical console just as Rhobas moved away.

She stared at the console for a moment, searching for the controls she needed, speaking to T'Vrell as she did.

"T'Vrell, contact Commander Temer's ship, request they head on a reciprocal course to ours in-" she checked the tactical display for a moment - "six seconds. Ah!"

She found what she needed and began tapping furiously at the controls, making adjustments as the Tholians moved ever closer.

"Bolm, I want all possible power to the aft shields - auxiliary power, life support from the vacated decks, forward phasers...take the photon torpedoes offline as well, put the power from the launcher into the aft shields.

"Uh...yes sir, as you say."

"T'Vrell, put the Tholians on screen," she commanded, moving away from the tactical station, and Rhobas looked at her in confusion.

"Ma'am, these adjustments-"

"Won't do a damn thing to them, I know. Just aim directly behind us and stand by."

She moved to Ryan Cobham's shoulder, leaning down to his level as she gave him his own instruction.

"When I give the word, I want you to dive. _Hard._ Full impulse, every drop of power you can put in the engines, straight down. Got it?"

"Aye sir, all power, straight down."

"Good man." She looked up at the viewscreen, just in time to see the Tholians opening fire. The ship shuddered violently under the repeated impacts, as four Tholian vessels all fired their tetryon beams at the fleeing _DaVinci_.

"Sir, they're closing on us!" Rhobas shouted, and Lydana held a hand up in a 'wait' gesture.

"Get ready Bolm," she said gently, as if worried the Tholians would hear her. The ship shuddered again, and Lydana forced herself to stay on her feet as she kept watching the display. Eventually, when she judged the distance and speeds to be right, she gave the order to Bolm.

"Vent plasma!"

As the _DaVinci_ sped along its course, a cloud of green-tinged gas spewed from the warp nacelles, forming a trail behind the tiny science ship. Directly ahead of her, the large, swooping form of Temer's warbird bore down on her position, and Lydana gave her follow-up commands.

"Rhobas, aft phasers! Ryan, now!

A single beam fired from the rear phaser array, and thanks to Lydana's adjustments it did exactly what she intended it to - it ignited the warp plasma, catching the four Tholian vessels in a massive conflagration that burned hot and bright as a newborn star.

The _D'serek._ Temer's _Moghai_ -class heavy warbird, flew directly over the plunging Federation ship, opening up with all of its disruptor cannons, ripping through the group of enemy ships as their shields collapsed and their hulls caught fire. The damage from the plasma fire was catastrophic - the follow-through from Temer ended them in seconds.

* * *

"All stop, Mister Cobham," Lydana told her helmsman with a grin, and turned to the rest of her bridge crew.

"Excellent work, all of you. Thank you for your hard work...and your trust. I couldn't have done it without you."

A tone from T'Vrell's station caused Lydana to look towards the Vulcan, who looked up promptly.

"Commander Temer is hailing us, sir."

"Onscreen."

She turned to regard her friend's superior, a man with strong features and thinning black hair. A scar ran from above his right eye down his cheek, and Lydana marvelled at the fact he hadn't lost the eye. He had the look of a stern, no-nonsense fighter, but his narrow lips split into a smile as he greeted the Starfleet officer.

"Lieutenant Kassai Lydana, I assume?"

"Yes sir, and you must be Commander Temer."

"Please, no need to stand on ceremony, Lieutenant," he said politely. "Just Temer will do. I just wanted to congratulate you - that was a daring move you just pulled off, one I doubt the Tholians were expecting."

"I'm sure they weren't sir- Temer, sorry. But I can't take all the credit - my crew were instrumental in getting that right."

"Naturally, and your humility and graciousness do you credit. I also wanted to thank you for saving the lives of the _Leucosia_ 's crew. Acts like that are what alliances are built on."

"I owe her captain a personal debt, Temer, one I can probably never repay. It was my honour to protect her and her crew, as she once did for me."

Temer nodded in understanding, and smiled at her again.

"I know what you mean, Lieutenant. Anyway, I'm afraid I cannot stay in-system - I have to take the information you and Centurion S'Vae gathered back to our leader, D'Tan. But thank you once again, and I hope to meet you again in future. _Jolan Tru,_ Lieutenant. Temer, out."

Lydana sighed heavily, before turning back to her crew.

"Maybe now we can get some repairs done without being shot at?"

The crew chuckled with her, and she began making her way to the turbolift.

"Do what you can guys. I'm going to try and help in sickbay. Elisa, you have the bridge for now."

Lydana scrubbed at her eyes as the turbolift closed, pressing back tears and the emotions that went with them. More wounded, a few more deaths and another ship pounded to within an inch of its life. She was beginning to think she should have taken that job on DS-9 after all - at least there she would only have been worried about doing her own job properly, and not having to be concerned with the pressured of command that she should never have been thrust into.

She ordered the turbolift to the deck sickbay was located on, deciding that the least she could do to soothe her battered conscience was to try and help her crew personally.

She took a deep breath, choking back the emotions that fought for control, and as soon as the lift doors opened she marched towards sickbay, determined to help her crew.


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Okay, just to clarify something here - I took a little liberty with a thing. It's not mentioned - as far as I've seen - what time the Federation ships use, so I've said here that they use Earth's timescale. The information on Lydana's age was worked out from some information on a non-canon site, that said a Bajoran year was shorter than an Earth one by four months, so I went with that. This is a fanfic anyway, I'm likely to take a few liberties with bits of information I can't find. I apologise if anyone doesn't like that, but I'm just trying to write an enjoyable story.**

 **Review if you want, it all helps!**

* * *

Four hours later, Lydana sat silently in her quarters, staring at the literal blood on her hands. She couldn't help but think that it matched the figurative blood that stained her, from all the crewmen she'd lost in such a short period of time. At least this time she'd actually fought to save a few of them. Of the twenty-seven wounded that poured into sickbay, the combined efforts of Lydana and the Chief Medical Officer had saved twenty-three of them, including one of the critical patients. She was weak, emotionally and physically drained, and there would be fresh nightmares waiting for that night, she knew...but she had fought to save her crew, and that had to count for something.

She finally rose, walking slowly over to her basin and rinsing her hands, wishing it was so easy to purge herself of the blood of the dead.

She was so caught up in self-admonishment, she didn't hear Elisa's voice on the internal comm until the second attempt.

 _"Elisa to Lieutenant Kassai, are you there?"_

"Kassai here."

" _So you are alive, sir. Was beginning to wonder what happened to you."_

"Sorry, Lise," Lydana said softly. "What's wrong?"

 _"Got a signal from the Centurion,"_ Elisa answered, and Lydana could already hear the teasing her First Officer would indulge in. _"You want to take it down there?"_

"Please. Thanks for letting me know."

She crossed to her desk and activated her desktop reader, smiling at the image of her friend that appeared.

"Loraya, you look better," she said, and the Romulan nodded.

 _"Thank you, Lydana, Satra has had plenty of experience in sticking me back together,"_ she chuckled. _"How about you though? And be honest, I'm not a fool."_

"I've...felt better," Lydana admitted, unwilling to lie to the Centurion.

 _"Well, tonight you will, my friend!"_ Loraya cheered. _"You have two hours. And I want you out of that uniform!"_

Lydana almost descended into a coughing fit, but no amount of self-control could guard her from the bright red blush that spread across her cheeks.

"I-I don't...what do you-"

 _"Relax, Lydana, this isn't a Betazoid wedding we're holding,"_ Loraya interrupted with a gentle laugh, _"it's a friendly dinner. I just want to see you wearing something...what's the word...ah, 'classy', I believe the humans say. We are all of us always on duty - to our superiors, to our crews, and for you and I especially, to our own damnable sense of duty to others, and I think we deserve to have a little down-time."_

"I...can't argue with that, Loraya," Lydana answered, wishing her cheeks would cool. That was twice now the Centurion had made her blush, and that just wouldn't do. "Two hours. Shall we send a shuttle?"

 _"No, we'll beam over to you, if it's an option. Our shuttle bay was damaged, and it's at the end of the list of things that need repairing."_

Lydana nodded, understanding the sentiment entirely.

"Okay then, we'll see you in two hours. Until then, Loraya."

 _"Until then, my friend. Be well."_

The screen blanked again, and Lydana sighed. It was strange how, out of everything in the universe, she felt most at ease in the company of a Romulan. The Federation and Romulan Empire had never been the closest of allies, but that seemed set to change, and Lydana felt a spark of pride that her own actions had helped fuel that alliance.

However, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something else going on - something not particularly negative, and solely between the two captains. Loraya was a good friend, but Lydana was certain there was some reason for the Romulan's very specific line of questioning.

No doubt it would be made clear in time, she decided, and shed her uniform tunic as she got up. She had to replicate herself something to wear, and she would need to find a style that would suit her.

 _On second thoughts, it might be better to get Lise to help_ , she thought idly. _I have_ no _idea what would suit me._

That decision made, she retrieved her commbadge and contacted her First Officer. She wanted this to go right.

* * *

"Are you this is going to be okay?"

Lydana looked down at the dress she now wore, before Elisa tugged at her hair and caused her to look straight ahead again.

"Well, you said the Centurion wanted to see you wearing something 'classy'," Elisa offered. "I picked something that was classy _and_ sexy."

Lydana's cheeks heated again, as she attempted to glance down at the dress again.

In all fairness, she felt amazing - in fact, in a floor-length black dress that hung from one shoulder, and which accentuated her few physical assets, she felt _beautiful._

She just wondered why Elisa chose that particular adjective.

"Prophets, Lise, it's a dinner for the senior officers, not a date," Lydana protested.

"Uh-huh." Elisa was clearly doubtful of something, and Lydana's brow furrowed.

"What? What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ ," she explained, "I just think you don't realise how interested in you she really is."

"I don't follow..."

"Jesus, Lyddie!" Elisa exclaimed with an exasperated half-chuckle. "How can you be so naïve? Even at your age, you should have _some_ idea of what I mean!"

"What do you mean 'even at my age'? I'm twenty-seven!"

"Nice try," Elisa added, tilting Lydana's head back to better adjust her friend's hair. "But you aren't on Bajor anymore, and Federation ships use Earth's time scale. You're twenty-two, and you should _still_ be able to notice when someone is interested in you." She heaved a sigh, patting Lydana's shoulder to indicate she was finished. "Seriously, how you got this far without having _any_ relationship, I will never know."

Elisa could remember, with painful clarity, how awkward Lydana had been when she tried to set the girl up with a few dates. To make it easier for her, she'd often arranged double dates, with herself and whichever student she was dating at the time going along so that Lydana felt less...out of her depth.

Not that it had ever worked. On one occasion, Lydana had been so shy she couldn't even hold a conversation with her date, a charming young Bolian male who was following the same career track as Lydana. It was rare enough to see Bolians following the sciences instead of engineering, but there it was. He'd eventually left, which had upset Lydana somewhat and set her romantic awakening back significantly. Then there'd been the ball at the end of the second year, where Lydana had actually been invited quite spontaneously by a fellow Bajoran. That would have gone fine, if it hadn't been for Lydana having a panic attack right before they were due to attend. Her date, believing he'd been stood up, ended up leaving with an Aenar girl, and apparently they were married now.

After that, Elisa had tried a different tack, and set Lydana up on a blind date with a girl from Elisa's own tactical classes, an unjoined Trill called Ferizha. That had been...less disastrous, because although Lydana kept blushing furiously at the implication, she'd at least walked away from the date with a new friend.

The problem, as Elisa saw it, was that her friend had no idea what she even wanted from a relationship. She had no relationship experience, so she didn't even know her own sexual orientation.

Well, that, and the poor girl's crushing shyness. That never helped.

"Well, I'm finished," Elisa told her. "Turn around sweetie, let's have a look."

Lydana complied, and Elisa could only stare in amazement.

"Well Lyddie, you look absolutely amazing," she managed, marvelling at how mature and beautiful her friend looked.

She'd worked Lydana's hair so that curled over her bare shoulder, and some light red eye-shadow drew attention to her expressive eyes. A little dark red lipstick was the only other cosmetics Elisa had applied, because she honestly believed Lydana needed nothing else.

"Well, I'm glad you're finished, because they'll be arriving any minute now and I need to go greet them. Can you just make sure everything is set please? And remember it's candlelight."

They'd decided to hold the dinner in Lydana's quarters, because the mess hall would be too busy and there was no private captain's dining room on a ship so small. With those options exhausted, the captain's quarters were the only other option, and half the time had been spent with Lydana furiously trying to prepare.

"Candlelight? Are you _sure_ this isn't a date?"

Lydana rolled her eyes, trying to hide her heating cheeks and thinking she needed to do something about that reaction of hers.

"No, you nuiscance, it's in case they bring Veril - she's Reman, remember?"

"Fair point," Elisa conceded. "I hope Tovan's coming over, he's pretty hot." Elisa giggled girlishly, a sound Lydana hadn't heard from in a long time.

"Welll, just try and keep your hormones in check, please. I want this to go well."

"Sure thing," Elisa replied with a wicked smirk. "I'll tell the Centurion the same, shall I?"

Lydana made a noise of annoyance and stalked off, heading towards the transporter room to meet her guests.

* * *

Lydana was nervous as she waited for her friends, although she wasn't entirely sure why. She knew them from the time they'd spent helping to repair the _Steadfast_ , so why would she-

Of course. It was Elisa's sudden revelation that had made Lydana worry. She worried because, if it was true, she had no idea how to handle it. Loraya was a friend, and someone she respected and admired, and the older woman was certainly not...unattractive. But Lydana had no idea how to act, how to _feel_ , if she found out that Loraya had a romantic interest in her.

She supposed she would have to work that out, in time.

Further thoughts were interrupted as three figures materialised on the transporter pad, and Lydana felt a little disappointed on Elisa's behalf as she noticed the absence of Tovan Khev, Loraya's First Officer.

"Lydana, you look _beautiful!_ " Loraya gasped, rushing forward to embrace the young Lieutenant. "You remember Veril and Satra, yes?"

Lydana offered the two other women a small bow and a smile.

"Of course I do, I can't forget the people who helped keep my old ship in one piece long enough to limp home," she told them. "If you'll follow me, we're dining in my quarters - it's the only space on this ship big enough for the occasion," she said, gesturing for the women to follow her, and missing a knowing glance that passed between Veril and Satra.

"I hope you approve of my attire," Loraya offered, making an expansive gesture to show off the outfit picked, and Lydana nodded approvingly. The Centurion had chosen a crimson shirt, with a black formal jacket and skirt, coupled with a simple belt with the emblem of the Romulan Republic on its buckle. Her strangely-coloured hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, and Lydana had to admit that her friend looked stunning.

"I do indeed, Loraya. I hope you approve of the food - I've replicated meals and beverages from all over the quadrant, so that we don't get bored."

"Then can we stop talking and go eat it?" Veril asked in her husky voice, before offering the two captains a grin that revelealed a distressing number of small, pointed teeth.

"She makes a good point," Lydana chuckled, and continued leading them from the room towards her own quarters.

* * *

As they entered Lydana's room, the three guests gasped in delight at the spread - a small, oval table had been set with a pure white cloth, places for six people, and a wide variety of food and drinks.

It was also, Veril noted with pleasure, a lot darker than any other place on a Federation vessel, and she removed her goggles with a smile.

"Please, take a seat," Lydana asked, gesturing to the table, and the Republic guests began to seat themselves.

"Lyddie, why don't you take a seat too?" Elisa said to her captain. "This was your idea, after all, so you should be given every opportunity to enjoy it."

Lydana smiled at her friend and nodded, moving to her seat.

"Thank you, Lise. Oh, do we know who's coming from the bridge crew?"

"Uh, I think it was Ryan who said he would join us," Elisa replied, and Lydana nodded again.

The young Lieutenant suddenly stiffened imperceptibly, however, as Loraya took the seat next to her, as if she had been waiting to see where Lydana would sit. Still, she told herself that there was nothing to it, that they were just friends enjoying friendly company.

"By the way," Loraya said quietly, leaning in close to the Bajoran officer, "I think that was a very thoughtful gesture, what you did with the lighting. It isn't often Veril can be a guest without her goggles, and she doesn't like wearing them."

"Talking about me again, Centurion?" Veril asked with a grin, setting a bottle of bright blue liquid on the table.

"Oh, I hope you don't mind," Loraya mentioned as she saw the bottle again, "Commander Temer sent this for us, in celebration of our alliance and what you and I achieved here together.

"Is that-?"

"Real, genuine, Kali-Fal, from Temer's own personal stocks," Loraya answered with a pleased grin. "Replicated stuff is alright, but it lacks kick. I do hope you'll join me for a glass later?"

"I...well, I don't..."

What she was attempting to say was that she never drank alcohol, but she caught herself as she realised she had no reason to stick to that old rule anymore. In fact, the more she thought about it, the less she could recall where or when she adopted such a rule, and eventually she nodded to the Romulan.

"Yes, actually. Yes I will."

Shortly afterwards, the door chime sounded and Elisa moved to admit Ryan Cobham, dressed in a standard suit but with his jacket left open.

"I hope I'm dressed okay, captain?" he asked cautiously as he moved to an empty seat by Veril, and Lydana gave him a warm smile in greeting.

"You look fantastic, Ryan, and now that we're all here - let's eat!"

When asked to identify the dishes and beverages on offer, it took Lydana and Elisa between them to identify everything - Andorian ale, Hasperat souffle, Kava juice (for non-alcohol drinkers) , Bajoran Springwine, Cardassian Zabu stew, Klingon Rokeg Blood pie, Romulan Viinerine, Vulcan Plomeek soup, and a variety of others. The six officers talked, ate and drank, and for a while all their stresses were forgotten. Veril applauded Lydana's tactics from an engineer's standpoint, then the two of them got into a discussion about the similar hardships their races had endured. Elisa began talking tactics with Lydana, an awkward situation with Lydana sat between the two, and Ryan was enraptured by Satra's passion for science. He would be the first to admit that much of her interests made little sense to him, but it was less the subject matter and more the person talking that he was amazed by.

Eventually they opened the bottle of Kali-Fal, and Elisa made sure everyone had their glasses filled with the gleaming blue substance.

"May I propose a toast?" Loraya asked, raising her glass, and everyone at the table readied their own. "To _Mol'Rihan_!"

" _Mol'Rihan!_ " the others echoed before drinking, although Lydana couldn't handle her drink as well as the others. After a couple of glasses of wine and half a glass of Kali-Fal, she was holding her head and thinking it was mistake too start drinking on this particular occasion, and she felt a gentle hand on her bare shoulder.

She looked around to see Loraya staring at her, concern plain in her grey eyes.

"You okay, Lydana?" she asked gently, and younger woman nodded.

"Yeah, I-I think so, just...not used to drinking, is all."

"Well if it's any consolation," Loraya started, pouring another glass of Kali-Fal, "this stuff is _a lot_ stronger than I remember."

She took a sip of her fresh drink, laughing into her glass as the alcohol took a firm hold.

"Miss Flores, I think you may need to keep an eye on me," she announced, and Elisa broke off her conversation with Veril to look past her captain to the Centurion.

"Why's that, Loraya?"

"Because it's an entirely possible I'll be taking your captain home with me tonight."

She had made that comment at the precise moment that Lydana had been taking another sip of her own drink, and she ended up choking on her drink instead.

"O-kay, that's enough alcohol for you, sir," Satra said softly, taking Loraya's glass away, and the Centurion directed a mock glare at her.

"Well, you are intent on just sucking the fun out of everything, aren't you? You're like a...Elisa, what are those Earth creatures? Big teeth, drink blood?"

Elisa's eyes narrowed in confusion, even as she attempted to get over her own shock at the Centurion's comment.

"You mean vampires?"

"Yes! You're like a vampire of fun, Satra."

"Well look what you've done, sir, the poor girl is mortified," Satra added, indicating Lydana's dark blush, and the fact that she couldn't meet the eyes of anyone at the table.

"You know they don't actually exist, right?" Elisa asked, and it was Loraya's turn to frown.

"Then why is so much of your twentieth century literature filled with them?"

Elisa shrugged, but any further conversation was interrupted by the internal comm chime.

 _"T'Vrell to Lieutenant Kassai."_

"Kassai here," the Lieutenant answered, struggling to understand what was going on.

 _"We have a communication for you. Should I put it through to your quarters?"_

"Is it important?"

 _"It is from Admiral Quinn."_

Lydana sighed, pushing her chair back from the table.

"Patch it through then please, T'Vrell." She turned to her assembled guests, and once again was unable to meet Loraya's gaze. "Sorry, ladies and gentleman, I have to take this."

She walked into her the sleeping area of her quarters and activated a terminal in there, and it promptly lit with the familiar features of Admiral Quinn.

 _"Ah, Lieutenant, I- Sorry, am I interrupting something?"_

"Just a friendly dinner between senior officers from the two sides, sir," she explained, and the admiral nodded.

" _Very good, Lieutenant, excellent an excellent way to build bonds between us and the Republic."_

 _But what kind of bonds?_ Lydana wondered, her heart quickening as she fought to make sense of recent events.

"What did you need of me, sir?" she asked, trying to distract herself, and the admiral leaned forwards.

 _"We need you to investigate some peculiar temporal anomalies in the Azure nebula,"_ he informed her, and her brow furrowed.

"The Azure Nebula? I thought the _Galileo_ was heading there?" She recalled that the admiral had offered her a position on that ship before she took her leave, and he nodded in confirmation.

 _"Correct, it is actually the information from her that we need you to follow up on. Unfortunately, her captain was ordered to Drozana station, to investigate some peculiar occurrences in that region. So, we would like you to take this one."_

"Well...of course, anything I can do sir," she agreed, heaving a large sigh.

 _"I knew I could count on you, Lydana,"_ the admiral added, smiling warmly. _"I'm transmitting all the information to you now, and we'll need you to move out as soon as you are able."_

"Understood sir, we'll set a course in the morning, and let you know what we find."

 _"Very good. Quinn, out."_

As the screen blanked, Lydana heaved another sigh, slowly becoming aware of another presence in the room behind her.

"Lydana?"

The Lieutenant closed her eyes, attempting to fight the rising panic as she recognised Loraya's voice.

Slowly she turned around to face her friend, and she realised that the Centurion appeared to be as worried as she felt herself.

She attempted to speak, but her throat constricted as she tried to form the words, and she gave up trying in case she embarrassed herself further.

"I...should apologise for what I said," Loraya told her, walking slowly into the room and letting the door close behind her. "I may have had a little too much to drink tonight, but still...I should have been more sensitive to your...personal situation, shall we say."

Lydana swallowed hard and sat on the edge of her bed, indicating that Loraya should follow suit, and eventually the Romulan woman did.

It took a few moments, but after some deep breaths Lydana finally managed to speak.

"W-what...what is it you want from me, Loraya?" she asked in a small, cracking voice. The older woman tried not to let her confusion show, but to no avail.

"Sorry, I don't understand," she told her friend, and Lydana shook her head.

"I just...what do you want? You quiz me about my relationships, you make comments like that...Elisa seems to think that...that you have some kind of interest in me, you know, beyond friendship, and I-I don't...I don't know how to process that, if it's true."

Loraya kept her gaze fixed on Lydana's face, despite the fact that the young Bajoran struggled to look at her.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't attracted to you, Lydana," she said softly, eliciting a whispered "prophets..." from her friend, and eventually Lydana looked back at her.

"I was under the impression...I don't know, I thought you and Tovan were..." her voice trailed off, and Loraya chuckled.

"Tovan has been like a brother to me," she explained. "He was the first to talk to me on Virinat, he helped me find work as a security guard for our colony, and he as close a friend to me as Elisa is to you, but...well, to put it mildly, I prefer the company of women."

"But...I don't...I don't understand, Loraya. Why me? What did I do to earn your..."

"Affections?" the Romulan offered, and Lydana made a gesture of agreement. ""You really don't see yourself as others do. As _I_ do. When we first spoke, as our ships stared at each other in the Acamar system, I thought there was an innocent beauty to you."

Lydana's cheeks heated again, and Loraya chuckled.

"See! That's exactly what I mean, your friend Elisa would never have such a reaction to a compliment. You are exceptionally humble, so focussed on doing your duty you can't even tell when someone cares about you." She took the risk of resting a hand on Lydana's arm, and while the Bajoran woman didn't reciprocate, she didn't pull away either. "Then we met again after I answered your distress call, and I find you fighting against insurmountable odds on the decks of your own ship. That took courage and fire, to organise your own crew that way, and as we helped fix the _Steadfast_ , I was able to talk with some of your crew. They were so _proud_ of you, of everything you'd achieved and had pushed them to achieve, and my admiration for you grew. Then there was the last day, when I've seen you throw your ship into certain danger to protect mine, further proof of your bravery, and the way you dealt with those Tholian reinforecments was simply genius. In short, Lydana...you're an astounding young woman, and I find myself thinking of you often."

Lydana's pulse was racing now, utterly stunned by her friend's revelation. She had to admit, she found the Romulan woman to be charming company - despite Loraya's habit of making her blush - but the problem was that she had no idea how to categorise how she felt.

The two of them sat in silence, the only sounds coming from the dinner party in the adjoining room. Lydana spent the time thinking, analysing what she felt, trying to put it into some kind of easily-definable category.

"You...you didn't answer my question," she said softly, and met Loraya's eyes again. "What do you want from me?"

Loraya thought for a moment, desperate to not push Lydana too far.

"I want you to be happy. I want you to be comfortable. But more than that...I want you to try. Just to see how it feels."

There was an intensity in her eyes that caused Lydana to look away, but slowly, gingerly, she shifted her hand, gently entwining her fingers with Loraya's.

"I...can think of worse things," Lydana said with an awkward smile, and she was surprised when Loraya placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Come on," she insisted, standing up while maintaining her affectionate hold on Lydana's hand, "let's go back and enjoy the party. You'll be leaving soon, and I want to make sure I make the most of your time in-system."

Lydana stood at last, blushing furiously yet determined not to let go of Loraya's hand, and before they reached the door she pulled the Romulan back slightly.

"Loraya?"

The Centurion turned at the mention of her name, and Lydana met her eyes once more.

"Thank you."

"For you, Lydana, anything," she answered with a smile, before pressing her lips to Lydana's forehead.

The two of them left the sleeping area and returned to the party, not letting go of each other's hand until they were once again sat at the table.


	5. Chapter 5

It was late into the ship's night by the time the dinner party ended, and the Starfleet trio escorted their guests back to the transporter room. Lydana remained bashfully silent, although would smile and blush whenever Loraya looked at her.

They finally reached the transporter, and Lydana politely dismissed the ensign at the controls before turning to her newly-established romantic partner.

"I'll be thinking of you, Lydana," the Romulan said softly, pulling the shorter woman into an embrace and inhaling the scent on her hair.

Lydana savoured the closeness, feeling safer and more secure than she ever had since leaving Bajor.

"You can call me Lyddie, you know," she answered, and Loraya simply shook her head.

"No. To shorten your name is to diminish you, belittle your achievements. To me, you are Kassai Lydana, scientist and...Elisa, what was it you said, on the _Steadfast_?"

"Oh, 'badass nerd'," Elisa replied, and everyone present laughed at the comment.

"That was it. Only now, you're _my_ 'badass nerd'."

Lydana's blush darkened once again, and she buried her face in the space between Loraya's neck and shoulder to hide it. However, Loraya wouldn't let her, lifting her head with a gentle hand against her cheek.

There was a moment, as Lydana stared into Loraya's eyes, where she suddenly wondered if this move was a bad idea. She wondered if she wouldn't come to regret her choice in the future, if-

Her thoughts were halted when the Romulan leaned forwards and captured her lips in a soft, delicate kiss, and Lydana emitted a small whimper of pleasure as she closed her eyes, settling into the first true kiss she'd ever had.

When Loraya eventually parted from her, Lydana found her chest heaving and her legs struggling to hold her up, and she eventually found the strength to meet her girlfriend's eyes again.

"How did that feel?" the taller woman asked, and Lydana had to swallow before she could reply.

"It- I...I could certainly get used to it," she managed, and wrapped her arms around Loraya's waist as she pulled her closer. "Loraya...you'll stay in touch, won't you?"

"It's a promise, Lydana." The Romulan officer stroked Lydana's cheek, before giving her another kiss.

Someone cleared their throat behind them, and Loraya parted to look over at Satra, tapping her foot impatiently on the transporter pad.

"If you are finished 'debriefing' your girlfriend, sir, we really should get back," she said with mock seriousness, and Loraya grinned as she turned back to Lydana.

"Now promise _me_ something," she asked, taking Lydana's hands, and the Bajoran nodded. "Promise me you'll take care of yourself, and that you'll stop trying to shoulder the blame for things that are beyond your control. That's all I ask."

"I...I'll try. For you."

Loraya gave her a soft smile, before finally stepping back and onto the transporter pad.

"I'll see you soon, my dearest. I guarantee it."

Lydana nodded to her and moved to the transporter controls, meeting her eyes once more.

"I'll hold you to that, Loraya. Energising now."

The transporters hummed into life, and the crew of the _Leucosia_ vanished in a blue haze.

As soon as they were gone, Lydana leaned on the console, hanging her head as she fought to understand her own emotions.

"You okay?" Elisa asked, resting a hand on her friend's shoulder.

"What just happened, Lise?" Lydana asked, lifting her head again. "Am I drunk? Am I hallucinating, or in some kind of fever dream? Or am I actually in a relationship with a _Romulan_?"

Elisa laughed at her friend's comment, pulling her into a friendly hug.

"I think you actually are, Lyddie, and no-one is going to be happier for you than I am. How are you feeling?"

"I...I miss her already."

"Well that's only natural," Elisa reassured her, pulling her away from the console. "Come on. I think it's about time we all got some sleep, before we head off to the Azure Nebula."

Lydana nodded as Elisa escorted her from the transporter room, her thoughts filled with pleasant thoughts - of her relationship, her girlfriend, her first kiss.

* * *

For the first time since the loss of the _Steadfast_ , Lydana's sleep was not disturbed by nightmares. Instead she slept peacefully, dreaming of being held in the safe embrace of the Romulan who had captured her heart.

She awoke at a standard 0600 hours, which allowed her to shower, dress, have a morning cup of Vulcan spiced tea and prepare for the day ahead. Given her fascination - or rather, obsession, as it had become - with all things associated with _Voyager_ , Lydana had once sampled the signature beverage of its captain, Kathryn Janeway. She had found it to be the most revolting substance she had ever come across in her entire life, and she'd tried fresh _racht_. She found her homeworld's own Jumja tea too sweet, the beverages of several other worlds simply disagreed with her, until at last she found Vulcan spiced tea. It was the perfect mixture of flavours for her, although she still believed that it could do with being spicier, something she intended to experiment with if she ever got the chance.

As soon as she was ready, she checked her terminal for reports that needed her attention, recorded her acknowledgement of them, and at last made her way towards the turbolift.

She encountered Elisa at the turbolift door, also due for a shift on the bridge, and the two of them entered together. For a short while neither of them spoke, with Elisa simply staring at her friend and smirking. Lydana noticed the look from the corner of her eye, and she eventually broke under her friend's stare, her cheeks reddening as her features lit with a shy smile.

"What?" Lydana laughed, and Elisa slapped her shoulder.

"You!" she cried excitedly. "Look at you, grinning like a Klingon at the gates of Sto'vo'kor!"

"Because you keep staring at me!" Lydana protested, her voice carrying an undercurrent of amusement.

"No, I'm staring because you're grinning! Gotta say Lyddie, getting a girlfriend has done _wonders_ for you."

Lydana blushed furiously once more, smiling so much her cheeks hurt. And yet, she found she couldn't help it - she had a girlfriend, and she felt...confident. Settled. Focussed.

"Yeah, I guess she has," she answered at last, and Elisa sobered slightly.

"So...now that you've had time to sleep on it, get to grips with the idea...how are you feeling?" Lydana looked at her with a neutral expression, and Elisa held her hands up in an apologetic gesture. "I know, I keep going on, and I'm sorry about that, but...well, it's a big moment for you. I want to know that you're okay."

"I know Lise," Lydana replied, smiling again, "and I appreciate it. And honestly...you're right. I've had time to process it, understand how I feel...and I care about her. I mean, you know...like, I _really_ care about her. I want to be with her. I want..." she paused, rubbing her nose ridges in the oft-seen expression of nervousness that Elisa was so used to. "I want this to last."

"Well, that's a relief," Elisa sighed, and Lydana looked at her quizzically. "Well, for a minute there I thought you were going to say you wanted her children. Thought I'd have to sit you down and explain why that just wouldn't work."

The two of them burst out laughing, and their mirth was only just subsiding as they finally reached the bridge.

"Good morning sirs," T'Vrell greeted them from her station, and Lydana fixed her with a stare.

"T'Vrell, have you _actually_ slept since we left Earth?"

"I assure you, Lieutenant, I have had enough rest to carry out my duties," she replied tersely, and Lydana stared at her for a moment.

"One day, T'Vrell, I have to try and get you drunk, see if you crack a smile."

"I do not believe-"

"Relax, T'Vrell," Elisa called from the First Officer's chair, "she's just a bit happy because she finally has a girlfriend."

T'Vrell looked from Elisa to Lydana, frowning ever so slightly.

"Given the Lieutenant's considerable shyness, I find that difficult to believe."

"Believe it, Miss T'Vrell," Ryan called back from his position at the helm, "I was there when the Centurion departed, and if they aren't together they put on a hell of a show."

" _You_ shouldn't have been looking, young man," Elisa warned playfully, and T'Vrell arched an eyebrow at Lydana, who simply shrugged as she worked her way around the bridge towards her chair.

"Building bridges by any means necessary, sir?" Bolm quipped, and once more Lydana didn't turn to him as she replied/

"Still holding that reservation on your airlock, mister Bolm?"

"To the day I die, sir."

Lydana chuckled softly, and looked up at Ryan's position.

"Mister Cobham, set a course for the Azure Nebula if you would, Warp five."

"Course and speed laid in, sir."

"Engage."

The ship's engines emitted a steadily increasing whine as the warp core fed power into them, before the _DaVinci_ left the system in a burst of light.

* * *

As it turned out, the mission to the Azure nebula turned out to be somewhat pointless, since when the _DaVinci_ arrived there was no sign of any temporal rifts or anomalies of any kind.

Or at least, that was how it seemed to the crew. To the uncaring universe, however, there had been a corruption of timelines, and Lydana and some crewmen from history had to find a way to fix it. It was eventually solved when the Enterprise-C was restored to its place in time, resetting the timelines and putting Lydana and her crew back where they belonged, with no recollection of any such event and no sign of the anomaly they had been sent there to investigate.

Instead, they set about mapping the area, since Lydana had noticed the last full mapping had taken place at least three years earlier, and she felt an update to Starfleet's records would be acceptable.

True to her word, Loraya made an effort to maintain regular contact with her girlfriend, a fact which filled Lydana with no small amount of joy. In the week it took to map the nebula, Loraya had made contact four times, and their private conversations had been the highlight of Lydana's day. Each night that week, when she went to bed, her nightmares were nowhere to be seen.

The following weeks proved to be little different, even as Lydana and her ship offered support against the Klingons. Damage was sustained, as was inevitable in any protracted firefight, and crewmen were injured, but Lydana was able to compartmentalise her emotional responses. She knew now, that even as she performed her duty, people would get hurt. Loraya had been right - a Starfleet's officer's life is a dangerous one, and her crew knew that.

The knowledge never made it any easier when it came to writing letters of condolences about officers who died in the line of duty, but Loraya's contact made her duty - and her burdens - easier to bear.

Then, when an order came to Lydana to head to a starbase on the other side of Romulan territory, she agreed readily - maintaining her professionalism while on the comm to Admiral Quinn, but the moment the screen blanked she was almost dancing with excitement. After contacting Loraya with the news, Lydana was eventually contacted by one Subcommander Nadel, stating that the _Leucosia_ would be assigned as a liason and guard, to ensure nothing happened to the _DaVinci_ while it was in Romulan space.

Her sly smile suggested that she had pulled some strings to allow the two women some time together, and Lydana thanked her for the assistance.

* * *

As the _DaVinci_ passed through Romulan territory, the familiar sleek outline of the _Leucosia_ settled in alongside it, and when their schedules finally permitted it, Loraya hurried to teleport over to the Federation starship.

"It's felt like years since we were last sat in here," Lydana commented, curled up with Loraya on the couch in her quarters. "That dinner...the talk we had just through the door...it's so strange."

"What is?" Loraya asked, sipping the springwine that Lydana had replicated for them both.

"Just...everything. Being with someone. Being with _you._ I just _..._ I just...I never expected it."

"I know the feeling," Loraya said, stroking Lydana's side as she kissed her forehead softly. "If anyone had told me on Virinat that I would fall for a shy, beautiful and amazing Starfleet officer, I would have assumed they'd been replaced by an Undine."

Lydana shuddered involuntarily.

"Oh Prophets, don't," she said with a grimace. "Fought a couple of those things lately. One had been imitating a Vulcan Ambassador, and another was a Klingon captain or something. Seems like they're manipulating certain events for their own ends, but-"

"Wait, you fought Undine, and you _didn't_ tell me about it?" Loraya's tone was serious, and Lydana frowned up at her.

"Well I didn't want you to get worried."

"I worry anyway, Lydana, but...well, I suppose I see your point. If you'd mentioned they were involved I probably wouldn't have left your side for a week."

"I could have lived with that," Lydana added cheerfully, and Loraya prodded her in the side.

"You are terrible, young lady," Loraya said with a laugh, and Lydana responded with a casual shrug.

"Well...love changes you."

There was an almost deafening silence behind her as Loraya went still, but from her position leaning against her girlfriend's chest she could feel the quickening of her breath.

"I'm...sorry?" Loraya asked, almost nervously, and Lydana twisted to look up at her.

"I mean it, Loraya. I've had a lot of time to analyse, to think and understand, and the more we've spoken...the more I've fallen for you. I love you, Loraya, and if that's too much, th-then I'm...I..."

Her breath hitched as it occurred to her Loraya wasn't saying anything, simply staring passively back into Lydana's own hazel eyes, and she was afraid she'd said too much too soon. Elisa had warned her that it can happen, but Lydana had felt it was the only thing that described her feelings for the Romulan captain - she wanted to hold onto her forever, wanted to remain at her side and never hold another for as long as she lived.

She had been about to burst into tears, when Loraya leaned over to set her glass on the table, then leaned down and kissed her girlfriend. It was a long, intense kiss, and she curled her arms around the smaller woman to pull her closer. Lydana ran a hand through the Romulan's hair, pulling her deeper into the kiss, and after several minutes they slowly parted, both of them breathless from the embrace.

"I love you too, Kassai Lydana," Loraya whispered into the Bajoran's ear, relishing her girlfriend's flushed cheeks at the words. "Now...how long is it until we clear my people's space?"

"Um..." Lydana checked the time display on a nearby padd. "About an hour. Why?"

"Because," Loraya replied, her voice sultry, "if it's okay by you...I think we should get some rest."

"But I'm not tired," Lydana pointed out, missing the point entirely, "and it's only...oh."

Her cheeks darkened as she realised the implication of Loraya's comment. "You...um, I-I mean I...but we..." she cleared her throat, marshalling her thoughts into some kind of order before trying again.

It's just...I...haven't been _wtih_...anyone, you know?"

"I do know, we discussed this on _Mol'Rihan_ , remember?"

"A-and you still want-"

"Yes, Lydana," the Centurion interrupted, "because you are perfect, and I love you, and I don't know when we'll see each other again after this. I want you to know just where I stand on the subject of our relationship, but most of all I want to just be with you. After all we've both endured...do we not deserve this?"

Lydana nodded, entwining her fingers with Loraya's.

"I...I don't think I can imagine anyone else I'd rather be with," she said, her voice a shaking whisper, and she leaned up to kiss Loraya again. Afer that, she stood up, still holding Loraya's hand, and led the Romulan into the adjoining room.

* * *

"So," Elisa began with a smirk, as Lydana settled back into her chair just over an hour later, "the Centurion's a _biter_."

Lydana's entire face turned crimson, and she pulled her collar up as much as she could.

Another week passed in much the same fashion, with the two women talking whenever possible, and snatching what little time together they could. However, at the end of that week, things changed.

Lydana was sat in her ready room, a glass of Kava juice in one hand and a padd of departmental reports in another, her desktop reader displaying yet more information, and she sipped her drink as she worked. It was so quiet in the room that the chirrup of her commbadge startled her, and she tapped it as much out of shock as a need to respond.

"Kassai, go."

 _"Captain, we are receiving a signal from Drozana station, but it is for you specifically."_

"You mean the caller requested me by name?"

"Correct, sir.

Lydana's brow furrowed in confusion, and she set her glass aside.

"Thanks, T'Vrell, patch it through to my ready room please."

Her commbadge chirruped off again, and her reader lit with the concerned features of her girlfriend.

"Loraya? This is-"

 _"Hush, Dana,"_ Loraya said quickly, using a contracted form of Lydana's name that no-one else ever used. _"You have to meet me here at Drozana station, as soon as possible."_ She checked over her shoulders, as if worried someone was watching her, then turned back to the screen. _"Please my love, do not ask questions. Just be here."_

Before Lydana could reply the screen switched back to her information display, and Lydana's frown deepened. She left her chair and walked out of her ready room, moving over to the helm officer's position. "How soon can we get to Drozana station?"

"About three hours ma'am, we aren't too far out at the moment."

Lydana thought for a moment, then gave him a curt nod.

"Do it. T'Vrell, contact Admiral Quinn and let him know we're diverting to Drozana for a brief stop, to resupply and follow up on the _Galileo_ 's operation there."

"Yes sir."

"Drozana?" Elisa asked quietly. "What the hell are we going there for?"

"I don't know," Lydana replied, leaning close to her friend, "but Loraya was concerned about something. Said she needed to see me there, quickly."

"Are you-"

"Don't, Lise, please," Lydana asked firmly. "No, I'm not alright. She's my girlfriend, and she might be in danger. How I'm not crying under my desk right now, I don't know."

Elisa gripped her friend's hand in an effort to comfort the younger woman, noticing her eyes glistening with unshed tears.

Based on what she'd heard of past events, if anything _did_ happen to Loraya, Elisa pitied anyone who met Lydana's wrath.

* * *

"Lydana, thank the Elements you made it."

Lydana ran up to the Romulan woman and embraced her tightly, almost weeping into the taller woman's jacket as she pulled her close.

"Loraya, I was so worried!" she said, her voice muffled by the fabric. "Prophets, woman, don't do that to me again!"

"I am so very sorry, Lydana, and believe me, I will make it up to you when I get back."

"Back? Back from-"

"Please just listen." The almost panicked edge to Loraya's voice, the slightly paranoid way she gripped Lydana's shoulders and looked over her own soon had the Bajoran woman paying attention...and frightened.

"O-okay..."

"Okay. Lydana, I have to go away for a while. I can't say where, but it is an important, highly-volatile, high-risk mission, that is completely classified. I need you to know that...but I also need you to trust me. No matter what you might hear in the coming months, you have to believe me when I say that...I love you, Lydana. I love you so very much, and I will be back for you, I promise."

Loraya stepped away, and Lydana felt her tears burning in her eyes, along with an inexplicable sense of loss building in her chest.

"Remember, Lydana, nothing is what it appears to be, and I will always be yours. Trust in me, believe nothing else."

Lydana ran forwards, desperate to hold on to Loraya for a minute, a second, a fraction of a second longer, but it was too late - she had hit her wrist communicator, and she vanished in shimmer of emerald energy.

* * *

Lydana returned to her ship, numb with shock and grief. She couldn't understand why Loraya had been acting that way, and she was sick with worry as her mind went over every possible outcome.

Nothing her subconscious offered was reassuring.

Another week passed, this time without contact from the woman she loved, and Lydana's nightmares resurfaced - only this time, with a more agonising twist. All the old terrors came back to haunt her, but now there were nightmares of Loraya being killed or betraying her as well. When she awoke, Lydana felt worse than ever - more emotionally raw, more vulnerable, and it was difficult for her to settle back into her work.

Even when she'd been sent to investigate spatial anomaly, which had in fact turned out to be a strange life-form that somehow existed in normal space _and_ subspace, she couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was happening, and she had no way to help or support Loraya.

Only the Romulan's fervent declaration of her love kept Lydana from believing she was being abandoned, but something felt...off.

Those feelings came to a head when, while returning from dropping a scientist off at Starbase 39-Sierra, another Starfleet vessel was detected on a rendezvous course.

"Show me," Lydana ordered, once Bolm had detected the ship. The viewscreen lit with the vessel in question, approaching them at warp speed. Its sleek lines and modern design were well-recognised, especially since one of its class had once been the famous _Enterprise_ -E.

"A _Sovereign_ -class," Elisa breathed, her tone awe-struck. "God, what I wouldn't give to command one of those."

"Are you okay, Lise?" Lydana asked with mock concern. "I think we should get you to sickbay, your heart rate is spiking."

"She's dropping out of warp, sir, moving to rendezvous with us now," Bolm informed her, and shortly after that T'Vrell spoke up.

"Sir...the ship is hailing us," she announced, and if it was possible for a Vulcan to sound concerned, she did.

"Wow. I wonder what such a highly-regarded captain wants with me," Lydana mused, standing up and straightening her uniform. "Onscreen."

The screen switched from the view of the ship to her captain, a slender, dark-furred Caitian with narrow eyes, and braided locks hanging either side of her face. Her expression was stern and impatient - not the most welcoming face Lydana had ever seen, but she'd had similar thoughts when she first spoke to Loraya.

"Greetings, captain, I-"

"You may desist with the pleasantries, Lieutenant," the Caitian said in a low snarl, catching Lydana off-guard. "I am under orders to escort you and your ship back to Earth Spacedock, where you will be held for questioning."

Lydana's expression turned incredulous, and her chest constricted.

"Questioning? On what grounds?!"

"On suspicion of consorting with the enemy. You are to power down engines, weapons and shields and prepare to be boarded. Your crew will be-"

"Now hold on!" Lydana snapped, interrupting the Caitian. "You cannot seriously believe I have anything to do with the _Klingons_ , can you? Or the Cardassians? And while we're at it, if we're going to do this, the least you could do is introduce yourself!"

Quite why she was worrying about manners at the time, Lydana didn't know, but it had made more sense in her head.

"I am Captain Re'vah Tenahbi, of the Federation Starship _Queen Mary,_ " Tenahbi declared firmly, "and I never said it was the Klingons or the Cardassians."

"Then what enemy am I meant to have-"

"The Tal Shiar."

The words hit her like a photon torpedo, and she staggered as if she had been physically shot. She sank into her chair, numb to the core at the implication that Loraya, her girlfriend and lover, may actually have been a traitor to her own people.

"Yes, it is ringing some bells now, yes?" Tenahbi sneered. "Now then. My ship is two hundred years newer and several magnitudes larger than yours. Do not make me ask again or I will not hesitate to reduce your ship and crew to expanding vapour. Do as I have commanded."

"Wait, you can't do this!" Elisa snapped, until Lydana cut her off.

"She's right, Lise," Lydana said, her tone small and defeated. "We can't fight her. We just have to go with her back to Earth and find out what's going on."

Lydana missed the fang-filled grin from Tenahbi, as she reached out to her console and activated the internal comms.

"All hands, this is the captain," she declared in a numb monotone. "Prepare the ship for towing back to Earth Spacedock, and stand by to receive Starfleet boarders. I don't know what is going on, but I promise you I will find out. Stay safe, and co-operate fully with the boarding teams."

She de-activated the comms and turned to her bridge officers, sighing heavily.

"Do as she ordered please, people. Rhobas, kill the weapons, Bolm, cut the shields. Leave us gravity and life support, nothing else."

"Lyddie, you can't be serious," Elisa pleased, and Lydana stood again as she answered her friend.

"We have no choice, Lise. The only way we figure this out is by co-operating."

"A wise move, 'captain'," Tenahbi growled. "I'm sure this will all be just a big misunderstanding," she finished, emitting a low cackle afterwards.

"Don't mock me, Captain," Lydana demanded. "You may outrank me, but my crew and I have done nothing. We _will_ be treated with respect until and unless we are proven guilty of some crime."

"Very well," Tenahbi muttered darkly, clearly unused to having others stand up for themselves. "Stand by to receive boarders."

The view changed as Tenahbi cut the transmission, and Lydana buried her face in her hands.

Elisa understood the fears and grief she felt, and she pulled her friend into a comforting embrace as the ship shuddered under the _Queen Mary_ 's tractor beam.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: Yes, I have taken some extra liberties - for the sake of the story, you understand. I apologise for nothing.**

 **Also, I swear these chapters are getting longer...**

* * *

Lydana was trembling as she was marched from the bridge of the _DaVinci_ , four Starfleet marines with phaser rifles escorting her through the corridors of the spacedock. She had no idea where she was going, where her friends and crew were or what was happening, but she knew she was afraid. All she wanted to was to wake up and find this all just some perverse new nightmare...and she surprised herself by realising how much she wanted to wake up beside Loraya.

Thoughts of the Centurion reminded her of the bizarre conversation they'd had on Drozana station, and several phrases kept replaying in her mind - _I also need you to trust me. No matter what you might hear in the coming months._ Was this what she had meant? _I love you so very much, and I will be back for you, I promise._ Reassuring to a degree, but what did she mean? Back from where, or what?

The more she tried to answer the questions in her mind, the more they multiplied, until Lydana found herself left in a single, sparse room. It was clearly an interview room - no windows, a table, three chairs, and no doubt recording devices built into the ceiling. She decided to sit on the singular chair, wondering who would sit in the two that faced her.

It wasn't long before her question was answered, as Admiral Quinn entered the room with another male officer, clad in the carbon-coloured uniform of Starfleet Intelligence. He was tall and thin, his broad nose seemingly too long for his narrow face, and his pointed ears marked him as a Vulcan. He carried a large padd with him, presumably for taking notes and displaying whatever files were relevant for their work.

"Lieutenant Kassai," Quinn began formally, "I'm sorry we had to meet again under these circumstances. This is Captain T'Lor of Starfleet Intelligence, and he has some questions for you."

"Greetings, miss Kassai," T'Lor said, with as much politeness as a Vulcan could muster.

"Captain," Lydana replied tersely.

"I wish to begin by enquiring as to the nature of your relationship with the Romulan officer known as Loraya S'Vae."

Lydana's mind reeled, and she fought to understand what was happening. She knew, deep down, that Loraya was not - could never be - a traitor, a Tal Shiar agent, or whatever.

"Um...Well, I...sh-she's...she's my girlfriend."

"You are in a romantic relationship with her?"

"I...yes."

She felt her cheeks begin to heat, realising that his questions would no doubt turn to their physical relationship.

"How did this begin?"

Lydana thought back to the _Steadfast_ 's mission to find her current ship, and she began relaying the story to T'Lor. Every so often he would simply make notes, and on occasion Lydana looked over at Admiral Quinn. What she saw gave her hope - she could see in his eyes that he didn't believe the accusations levelled against her, nor did he want to put Lydana through this situation, but clearly he had been over-ruled by someone higher in the chain of command from Starfleet Intelligence.

She finished relating her story, and T'Lor nodded.

"I see. And do you have a physical relationship with Centurion S'Vae?"

 _And there it is_ , Lydana thought, her expression twisting angrily.

"What has that got to do with anything?" she snapped. "For your information we slept together _once_ , not that that should have _any_ bearing on whatever investigation you're carrying out!"

"Forgive me, Miss Kassai," T'Lor stated, raising a hand in a plea for her to settle down. "I merely provoked an emotional reaction to better gauge your character."

 _Vulcans_. How she'd ever grown to like T'Vrell she could never fathom, but as she stared at this manipulative man she realised that T'Vrell was less Vulcan than most. She actually seemed to care.

"Congratulations, a job well done right there," Lydana seethed. "Look, can you just tell me what this is about?"

"Very well." T'Lor placed his padd on the table and leaned over it, lacing his fingers together as he met Lydana's stare.

"What do you know of the Tal Shiar?"

Her brow furrowed.

"The...Romulan Empire's so-called 'secret police'. Known for their brutal methods and frequent kidnappings of people, and they are currently at odds with Empress Sela - although neither side there is particularly favourable. Comparisons could probably be drawn to the Gestapo of Twentieth Century Earth's Nazi faction."

"Anything else?"

"Yes, they shot my last ship to pieces and killed half my crew. Please make a point sometime soon, sir."

"We have reason to believe that your 'girlfriend' is in fact a Tal Shiar operative."

The accusation hung in the air like a poisonous cloud, and Lydana began shaking her head.

"No. _No_. Loraya wouldn't do that, she wouldn't. I mean, she...her colony, Virinat, was destroyed by the Tal Shiar. She lost friends and family that day, contact the Republic! They can tell you the same!"

"Miss Kassai, please observe the following image, captured at the former colony of Virinat."

He turned the padd around and showed it to Lydana, who looked carefully at the image. There was Lydana alright, in the middle of the ruins of what must have been their colony. She also recognised Tovan and Satra, even Veril, and the broad, muscular form of Hiven, who she hadn't spoken to much.

"That's her crew," Lydana told the Vulcan. "All of them have their own reasons for hating the Tal Shiar. None of them would serve such vile people."

T'Lor merely shrugged, touching some controls on the device and displaying another image, this one of Loraya and Tovan, alongside another ostentatiously-dressed Romulan.

"This was taken at an abandoned communications array. The figure you see there is Charva, another Tal Shiar operative. They are clearly working together."

"And the fact that Charva was arrested, and held by the Romulan Republic?" Lydana asked. "Loraya told me about this. Charva was trying to convince them to join the Tal Shiar, using her past with Tovan to try and earn their trust. It turned out that Charva was being mislead herself, and she was eventually captured - _by Loraya -_ and held on Subcommander Nadel's ship for questioning."

"And how do you know this?" T'Lor asked dubiously.

"Loraya told me about it herself."

"Very well. One last image, miss Kassai." T'Lor manipulated the controls again, and the padd displayed an altogether different picture.

It showed a Reman colony, indicated by the permanent darkness and the bald, unpleasant-looking citizens. But in the middle of it was a figure, who looked unnervingly like Loraya, clad in the Tal Shiar uniform. Lydana stared at it, her chest tightening and unshed tears stinging her eyes.

"So..." she cleared her throat, realising her voice was cracking under the weight of the conflicting emotions she felt, and tried again. "So what does this have to do with me?"

"You have been in a relationship with a suspected enemy of the Federation. We have to ascertain how that will affect us."

"Loraya is _not_ a Tal Shiar agent!" Loraya cried, slamming the table as her tears fell freely. "She's not! She's loyal to her people, to the Republic, to _me!_ "

"Miss Kassai, I understand this is difficult for you, but we have to be sure. We must protect the interests of the Federation, that is the role of Starfleet Intelligence. To that end, you are hereby relieved of your command and suspended from active duty, pending further investigation into the matter. You will be confined to quarters here on the Spacedock, until such times as you are either acquitted of your crimes or found guilty of them , in which circumstance you will be face a court-martial for fraternising with an enemy of the Federation."

Lydana could only state in mute horror, tears streaking down her face, as T'Lor damned her to a ruined career.

* * *

Lydana stared out of the curving window, her arms braced against the frame, and tried to ignore the door chime that sounded for what felt like the eleventh time that evening. Since being confined to quarters, she had been dragged back out on several occasions, to answer yet another round of the same tedious questions phrased slightly differently, by a different member of Starfleet Intelligence. She was exhausted, weary and emotionally drained, and yet she didn't dare to sleep. She knew the terrors that awaited her behind closed eyes, and she would not face them again.

Eventually the door behind her opened slowly, despite her attempts to ignore it, and she sensed a single figure enter the room.

"So you _are_ still alive, Lydana," Admiral Quinn stated, his tone light. "I was beginning to think you had either disappeared into a spatial anomaly, or done something unpleasant and unwise."

Lydana didn't turn to him, instead continuing to stare out at the universe beyond the bulkhead.

"I shouldn't be here," she said softly, watching another Federation ship jump to warp.

"Well, I'm afraid that's for-"

"I should be out there, looking for Loraya. Wherever she is, whatever's wrong, she needs me, and I should be there for her."

She heard Quinn sigh, and he settled on the basic, functional bed that filled most of her small quarters.

"Lydana, that isn't going to help your case," he told her. "Intelligence believes-"

"Intelligence is _wrong_ ," Lydana interrupted again, looking over her shoulder towards him. "She is _not_ a Tal Shiar agent!"

She sighed heavily, hanging her head in exasperation before returning her gaze to what lay beyond the window.

"Evidence suggests otherwise, Lieutenant," Quinn offered gently, and Lydana scoffed as she turned to face him at last.

"First of all, sir, there's no point calling me that anymore. They stripped me of my commission, which I think is an insult to all those who died on the _Steadfast_ , a betrayal of Captain Taggart's trust and a slap in the face to Captains Yim and Vo'lok. And secondly, if you want to talk about _evidence_ \- again, I might add - how about the time Loraya saved me and my crew from a Tal Shiar warship? How about the fact that she has fought her entire career _against_ them, often at great personal risk?"

She shook her head and looked away, realising she was once again walking down the same route she'd gone down with every other interrogator so far, and she was sick of it.

"So what about Delta Corvi?" he asked softly, and she froze. The image of Loraya and her crew on the Reman colony burned in her mind, and she closed her eyes as she tried to push it down.

"I don't know," she whispered, "but there has to be a reason. It was just a still image - you'd think in this day and age we could get reliable video, but I suppose stills are easier to misinterpret."

"Lydana, you know we are just trying to protect the interests of the Federation," he told her defensively, and she sighed in response, gazing out the window once more.

There was a taught silence between them for a few moments, as Quinn searched for something meaningful to say and Lydana simply searched the stars for answers.

"Is there-"

"I need a shuttle," she declared, cutting him off, and she turned to face him again.

"I'm sorry Lydana, I'm not sure I heard you correctly."

"I need a shuttle," she repeated, and Quinn stared at her incredulously.

"And what do you intend to do with one, if you acquire it?"

"What do you think, sir? I'm going to find my girlfriend, and get the answers that Starfleet Intelligence would rather assume."

"So you're willing to risk your career and your life for this woman, despite the fact that she may actually be a traitor?"

"She isn't," she told him firmly. "I know it. And my career is lost anyway. My life is all I have left to stake on this."

"Lydana, have you any idea how crazy this sounds?"

She stared at him for a moment, moving to sit beside him on the bed.

"Sir...what do we fight for?"

The question took him by surprise, given the sudden change of topic, and he frowned as he thought about it.

"Well, the Federation is committed to-"

"No, not the Federation," she interrupted. "Us. You, me, the people we know. The _individual_ reasons that we in Starfleet serve."

"Oh. Well...it's different for everyone, isn't it? Some do it out of obligation. Some do it for the desire to explore, like yourself. Some do it because they want to make their worlds better for those they care about."

"I guess so," she said quietly. "You were partly right, sir. I did join because I wanted to see what was beyond the stars I knew, what worlds and cultures were out there beyond Bajor, what strange phenomena were out in the depths of space. I wanted to know. I wanted to learn." She paused for a moment, and Quinn remained silent, sensing she had more to say. "Then I made friends at the Academy. People I cared about, who made me feel...no, they actually _made_ me better than I was. Without knowing Elisa, or T'Vrell, or the ones I lost on the _Steadfast_ , I would be a lesser person. And then I met Loraya." She met Quinn's eyes for a moment, and he was shocked by the fire and determination he saw in hers. "Loraya saved my life. She gladly called me friend. She helped me and my crew get back home. She offered me support when the burden of command felt too much, and then...then I fell in love with her, and she with me. Loraya has become my reason, sir, my only reason for doing this. Without her, I'm a shadow of what I was, what I could be. I _have_ to find her, and I am going to do that by any means necessary."

Another silence stretched between them as Quinn processed what she'd told him, the implications of her speech.

"Did you know I have a wife, Lydana?"

She shook her head.

"I do. A daughter too. I don't see them as much as I'd like to...but everything I do here is for them."

She smiled weakly at him, and he shook his head as he reached a decision.

"I still can't give you a shuttle...but I might be able to give you the opportunity to get out of this room, at least."

She lunged forward and embraced the older Admiral, and he patted her back awkwardly.

"Keep in mind, Lydana, that I can only do this once, and if you are caught again, all bets are off. And, of course, I won't be able to back you up in any upcoming court-martial."

"I don't care," she whispered joyfully into his collar. "Thank you sir."

He eventually managed to peel her arms away from his shoulders, and stood up as he began to move towards the door.

"I can't let you know when anything will happen, so...keep an eye out."

"I will sir," she assured him. He was about to open the door again when another thought occurred to the young Bajoran, and she called him back.

"Sir? What will happen to my crew?"

"Well...none of them were under suspicion, so they'll be reassigned. I believe miss Flores is being made a full Lieutenant and getting a tactical slot on a _Rapier_ -class escort."

"Hm. Good, she'll like that. Just...look after my people please, sir. Don't let their careers be tainted by association with me."

Quinn smiled at her, secretly impressed at her selflessness.

"That much, Lydana, I _can_ promise. Take care, and if I don't see you again...it's been an honour knowing that people like you still exist in Starfleet."

"Thank you sir. It's been an honour to serve with you."

At that, Admiral Quinn left the room, leaving Lydana to wonder exactly what would happen to her.

* * *

Lydana sat and meditated for a couple of hours, praying to the Prophets for guidance and hoping she was doing the right thing.

Not by Loraya - she already knew that her Romulan girlfriend would do exactly the same for her, so that wasn't her concern. No, she was worried about her friends and crew, if by stuffing her career out an airlock she was betraying them.

Her duty meant everything to her, but she was powerless in the face of an institution determined to slander the woman she loved, and by extension Lydana herself as well. Loraya was the first person outside of her family Lydana had truly, completely loved, and the depth of that emotion shocked her. After all, they hadn't known each other that long, and yet they'd already declared their love, become physically intimate. That thought, in turn, led her to question herself - had she been deceived, allowing her love for Loraya to blind her to the truth? Was it possible that she was, in fact, an agent of the enemy?

 _No_ , Lydana told herself firmly. _It isn't possible, and I will find the proof - the_ real _proof - of her innocence._

There was a sudden buzzing noise from the door, and Lydana's eyes snapped open. She moved quickly, settling into a ready position like a sprinter at the blocks, and eventually the door lock disengaged and it slid open.

The two security officers standing guard outside her room looked in, just in time to see a small bundle of Bajoran fury rushing straight at them.

Lydana's time on her homeworld had not been spent completely idle. Alongside her time with the Vedeks renewing her faith, she'd spent time with the Bajoran militia, learning self-defence. Never again would someone like Vekaan get the better of her up close, she swore, but now those skills had an entirely different application.

She slammed into both officers, dropping low and sweeping her left leg around to drop the man on her right, before rising to slam her right leg into the knees of the guard to her left. She drove a left-handed punch into the second guard's face, leaving him on the floor for a few minutes longer, and she turned just in time to see the first guard stand up. A swift knee in the groin put him on the floor once again, and she ran down the corridor as quickly and silently as she could manage.

She had already managed to ascend several levels when the alarms began alerting everyone to an escaped prisoner, which Lydana found amusing - she'd been told often by her interrogators that she _wasn't_ a prisoner.

As she made her way carefully towards the shuttle bays, she silently praised the fact that T'Vrell had taught her how to perform a proper Vulcan nerve pinch. So many of her fellow students tried and failed at it; she had been one of the few to ask advice from an actual Vulcan. Thanks to her foresight, there were now three unconscious guards who would wake up shortly with absolutely no injury.

But her stealth couldn't save her forever, and she winced as a phaser blast singed the wall she was hiding near. She spotted several guards converging towards here, and the shuttles were just a sprint away.

She ran to a nearby wall console, entering a few commands that she knew would have seen her docked several points at the Academy, and made a headlong run for her salvation. She ran in an unpredictable pattern, extending the time it took her to reach the shuttles but making her harder to hit. An explosion behind her told her that the console she'd just overloaded finally detonated, and the shouts of consternation told her that some guards had been wounded.

She hoped - prayed, even - that they would be okay, but she had far greater concerns on her mind at the time.

* * *

She finally reach the shuttle bay, and couldn't believe her luck when she found one already open, its engine emitting the steady hum of a shuttle idling. The single science officer standing beside it was a slight problem, however, and she fretted for a moment.

 _It doesn't matter,_ she told herself. _Loraya is more important. I can face the consequences when - if - I return._

Her resolve hardened again and she ran at the man, taking him by surprise as she wrenched his arm back and smacked his head against the side of the shuttle.

"Really sorry!" she shouted back as he collapsed to the deck, and she hit the controls to raise the ramp as fresh phaser shots rained down at the small vessel.

Her fingers danced over the helm controls as she worked, setting the autopilot to take her out of the system and feeding it all the evasive manoeuvres she knew. Admittedly that wasn't many, but any was better than none, and she needed to work on other aspects of her escape.

It appeared to Lydana that the shuttle that she'd stolen - indefinitely borrowed, she corrected herself - had apparently already been cleared for launch. As her small vessel lifted from the pad, the hangar doors ahead of her began to open, and she flew straight for them at a regulation speed, using only the thrusters. She worked furiously, trying to lock out the guards' communications, imagining them contacting docking control to stop her launch.

It seemed her luck had run out - she realised she'd failed when the hangar doors began to close again, and she swore in Old Bajoran. Throwing caution to the winds, she took the shuttle up to full impulse, calculating in her head the odds of succeeding such a move.

It didn't look good, and as she neared the closing doors she prayed to the Prophets to protect her friends if her escaped ended badly.

At the last instant she stuck the shuttle on its side, the sudden loss of a few inches of width giving her just enough space to burst from the hangar safely.

An alarm on her console sounded, and she noticed that the station was attempting to lock a tractor beam on her shuttle. That much she had been prepared for, and a few deft movements on the console polarised the hull for a few precious seconds, rendering her immune to being tractored.

She noticed a few ships moving to try and engage her shuttle, no doubt responding to a wide-band hail to stop her tiny vessel, and she activated the evasion routines she'd previously set up to make it harder for them to lock on.

Her console began to chirrup at her, letting her know she was being hailed. She continued working as she opened the channel, not looking at the small monitor beside her.

 _"Kassai Lydana, you will stand down at once,"_ growled a familiar voice, and she looked around to see the unpleasant face of Captain Tenahbi.

"Sorry Tenahbi, but that isn't an option," Lydana told her, focussing on getting out of the system.

 _"Ops, lock on to her commbadge and beam her directly to the brig,"_ she hear the captain call to her officer, and Lydana smirked.

"Well, I hope you get plenty of information from your captive pillow," Lydana chuckled, and looked back at the scowling Caitian. "Oh, come on, Captain. You didn't think I'd be stupid enough to actually take my commbadge, did you?"

 _"We have a tractor lock on your shuttle, girl. You will not escape."_

There was something dangerous in Tenahbi's tone that made Lydana's blood boil. The attitude, coupled with the derogatory use of the word 'girl', put her in mind of Vekaan, and Lydana's expression hardened as she faced the captain.

"Don't ever speak to me like that again, Captain. My career is dead anyway, I have nothing left to lose - it would be nothing for me to slam this vessel into your engineering section and set it to self-destruct. And then who would be an 'expanding cloud of vapour', hm?"

Tenahbi's whiskers twitched with restrained anger, and when she spoke her again her voice was low and dangerous.

"I swear, child, I will personally see to it that Starfleet command nails you to the wall, and that-"

The screen blanked as Lydana cut the transmission, making some additional adjustments to her console.

"Boring conversation anyway," she muttered to herself.

A few seconds later, the small ship trembled as the _Queen Mary_ snared it in a tractor beam, and Lydana fought to perform two tasks at once. She adjusted the shield harmonics, making it harder for the tractor beam to maintain its hold, then worked on cancelling it entirely. She cheered to herself as she managed to fire a feedback pulse from the phaser banks, noting with satisfaction that the massive ship's tractor emitters had blown out. Her console alerted her again to more tractor locks, but for those other ships it was too late - as Lydana's shuttle reached the optimum distance from the Spacedock, she immediately sent it into maximum warp, and hammered home the final nail in the proverbial coffin of her career.

* * *

For several hours she let the shuttle fly on autopilot, keeping her signature masked through every science trick she could think of. She didn't dare to rest, partly to avoid the nightmares and partly because she needed to be awake in case someone found her.

When she was far enough away from any known Federation patrols, she finally dared to send the message she need to send. She opened all frequencies, all channels, and began to broadcast.

"This is Kassai Lydana of Starfleet, calling Tovan Khev of the Romulan Republic. I need to speak with you urgently, please respond."

Silence. She tried the message again, and was met with the same response, and she sighed bitterly. Perhaps she wasn't close enough to Romulan territory. Perhaps Tovan was dead now. Perhaps...there were too many variables to consider, and she buried her face in her hands.

She wouldn't cry. Not here, not now. She wouldn't.

A warning tone from her console caused her to look up, and she didn't need to check the display to see what it meant - she could see outside her cockpit, the familiar shape of a _Dhael-_ class warbird shimmering into existence, matching her course and speed. A second tone informed her she was being hailed, and she hurried to open the channel.

She almost wept with relief when she saw Tovan's chiselled features, and she allowed herself a small smile. She'd made it.

 _"Lydana, is that you?"_ he asked. _"Where's your ship?"_

"It's a long story, Tovan, but first I have to know - where is Loraya?"

His expression became neutral, but his eyes were sad. Lydana instantly feared the wors.

 _"You better come aboard. We've got a lot to talk about."_

Both ships dropped out of warp temporarily, allowing Lydana to pilot her shuttle into the _Leucosia_ 's shuttle bay, and the instant she was on board the warbird cloaked again before jumping back to warp.

* * *

"What's going on, Tovan?" Lydana demanded, her panic leading to her breathing becoming more rapid. "What's happened? Where is she? Prophets, don't tell me she's dead, please!"

Tears trailed down her cheeks as her emotions and exhaustion caught up with her, and she sank to her knees in front of her friends.

"She's alive, Lydana," Tovan told her, crouching to her level and resting a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "But so far, that's all we know. Come on, we'll go to the mess hall and I'll explain."

Tovan and Veril led her to the Romulan vessel's mess hall, while Satra returned to the bridge to take command. They set some food and drink in front of her, and she tried to eat slowly as her friends explained the situation.

"After Loraya spoke to you on Drozana, we were sent to infiltrate the Tal Shiar, to gain inside information we could use against them. The things we had to do while we were undercover were...not pleasant, but it was for the greater good of the Republic."

"Like Delta Corvi?" she asked, her tone holding no hint of judgement. For her, Tovan's reaction spoke volumes - he hung his head, his expression one of suppressed anger.

"I objected to joining in that Tal Shiar operation, but Loraya said we needed to keep up appearances. But she made sure we only disabled some scout ships, and once we beamed down to the planet we warned the Maiori what was happening. We fought _against_ the invaders, buying the colonists time to evacuate on shuttles, but we were caught out when we tried to get the Maiori out on the last one. Empress Sela herself turned up, beaming us off the shuttle, and to maintain her cover Loraya let the Maiori think we were loyal to the Tal Shiar."

He shook his head, clearly unsettled with what happened, and Lydana relaxed visibly. Clearly, she had been right all along.

"I swear, if I ever get my hands on Tal'Mera..." he muttered, and Lydana frowned at him. "Sorry, Commander Tal'Mera was Loraya's contact from Republic Intelligence. The whole thing was her idea."

Lydana finished her food, sipping the beverage they'd acquired for her. While it had a sharp, bitter taste, moreso than she was used to, it was not unpleasant.

"So...if this was all an infiltration mission...where is Loraya?"

Tovan sighed and rubbed at his eyes with one hand, visibly upset by his friend being missing. Instead, it was Veril who answered the question.

"We were on a mission to the Hobus system, to investigate some strange signals we'd detected there," she explained. "You may remember Hobus is where the supernova that destroyed our worlds originated. Well, we found out some interesting information - a former Praetor called Taris had been working with an Iconian gate, trying to contact them in order to fix the catastrophe that destroyed our worlds."

"She had also been involved in the original disaster," Tovan added, "but she claims she was manipulated by another officer, one we've run into a few times - General Hakeev."

"While we were at Taris' facility," Veril continued, "the rest of the Tal Shiar attacked and attempted to take her prisoner. She escaped using the Iconian gateway, and Loraya was going to set it to overload and then beam out behind us."

"We beamed out," Tovan interjected, "but there wasn't enough time for Loraya - so she used the gateway too."

Lydana was horrified. Iconian gateways, aside from being ancient and unpredictable technology, had the ability to send someone through space _and_ time. It was why the Iconians were such dangerous foes, in the centuries before they were defeated and banished to wherever they came from.

As far as Lydana was concerned, her girlfriend might as well have been dead.

So I came this far...for nothing?" She asked weakly, and Veril reached out and gripped her hand.

"No, Lydana, not at all," she assured her. "Loraya's signal has been detected, briefly - we're still looking for her, and we'd be glad to have you along. Right Tovan?"

"Of course," Tovan replied with a smile. "I actually think it'll do her good to see you when we get her back."

Lydana settled again, finishing her drink and leaning against the table. Veril squeezed her hand again, and Lydana looked at her.

"You look tired," the Reman said softly, and Lydana nodded.

"Well you can rest easy with us," Tovan told her. "We're under cloak, so your Federation friends won't find us unless they know what they're looking for. Veril, why not find her some quarters?"

"I'll put her next to mine, if that's okay," Veril answered, looking to both of them. "I think she could use the presence of a friend."

Lydana nodded weakly, smiling at them both.

"Thank you, both of you. Um...would...would it be okay if I had some clothes, too? I don't feel...right, wearing this uniform right now." She noticed Tovan's look of confusion, but she lacked the energy for a protracted explanation. "Starfleet Intelligence caught on to your actions as 'Tal Shiar agents', and they knew of my relationship with Loraya, so-"

"You were seen as fraternising with the enemy," Tovan finished, and Lydana nodded. "Well, i guarantee you, we are _not_ with those psychopaths at all, and we never were. And Loraya...she spent the whole time hoping you wouldn't hate her for what happened."

"Never." Lydana failed at stifling a sudden yawn, and looked at Veril with weary eyes. "Sorry, but if you could show me those quarters...?"

The Reman laughed, revealing her many pointed teeth, and beckoned for Lydana to follow her.

"Come on then Lyddie, let's get you a place to sleep."

For once, she was too weary even to dream, and for that she was glad.

* * *

She awoke to find that Veril had, at some point, slipped into her quarters and left a fresh Republic uniform. She'd also left a tricorder and disruptor pistol, presumably for completism's sake, and Lydana felt a perverse sense of loss as she shed her Starfleet uniform. She folded it up neatly, unsure if she would ever be able to return to it, and got dressed into the Romulan one that was left for her.

Like most things Romulan, the uniform was a soft shade of green, with a paler green undershirt, and - to Lydana's annoyance - a pair of tight, reinforced trousers.

She settled the belt around her narrow waist, holstered the pistol and slotted the tricorder into place, and checked herself in the mirror. If she had to be honest...she actually looked quite tough.

Her door buzzed, and she looked at it quizzically.

"Um...come...in?" she offered hopefully, and she was rewarded with the door opening to admit Veril.

"Sorry Lyddie, I should have warned you our door chimes are different," she chuckled, shielding her eyes from the light.

"Oh, dammit, where are my- computer, lower the lights three levels, please."

There was a tone of acknowledgement from the computer, and the lights lowered in response to her request. Veril nodded her thanks, emitting a soft sigh of relief.

"I have to say, it suits you," she said, nodding to Lydana's uniform. "If you're ready, would you like to join us for breakfast?"

"Yes, please," Lydana answered. "Um...I'm so thankful to you and Tovan, and everyone, but...I don't want to feel like a freeloader or anything. Is there any way I can help out on the ship?"

"I don't know I'm afraid, I'm just an engineer," Veril chuckled. "I'll ask Satra though, she's chief science officer. If anyone can find you some work, it'll be her."

She led Lydana out of the quarters and back towards the mess hall, and the two women fell into casual conversation as they walked.

By fortunate coincidence, Satra was in the mess hall as well, having just finished a shift on the bridge and preparing to retire to her own quarters. Veril and Lydana joined her, although the latter was conscious of the strange looks she was getting from the rest of the crew members. When Veril raised the question of finding work for Lydana aboard their ship, the Romulan turned to their guest with a questioning expression.

"I could no doubt find you something that suits your talents," Satra said, "I just don't know your expertise."

"Well...I'm a scientist, as you may remember, with a focus on the astral sciences. I'm also medically trained, although given how little the Federation knows about Reman physiology, I would be of limited use in sickbay."

"Hm." Satra stared at her in thought, before cocking her head to one side. "How about as a trainer?"

"E-excuse me?"

"A trainer. There's bound to be all sorts of skills that Starfleet teaches that our own crews may lack - don't forget, a lot of us are little more than a well-equipped militia. Even Veril had to learn 'on the job', so to speak. Your experience could be invaluable."

"Well, I...hm." Lydana thought for a moment, realising that her current situation meant she was no longer bound by Starfleet protocol.

"Well, I'll probably never see my Starfleet career again, so...I'd be glad to help however I can."

"Excellent!" Satra cheered. "May as well start on the bridge, give my relief some pointers. And by the way," she turned serious for a moment, meeting Lydana's eyes. "I think what you did is extremely brave. Loraya would be proud of you."

"I'm...not so sure," Lydana said bashfully. "I worry she'd be disappointed I threw away my career to come and find her."

"Well from what you've said before, Starfleet had already written you off," Satra said supportively. "You didn't throw your career away, they did. You just decided to do something with the fact."

Veril gave Lydana a nudge before she could reply, gesturing towards the door.

"We should get to the bridge now, Lyddie. Tovan's probably running himself into the deck trying to locate your girl."

Lydana agreed, and thanked Satra for her input before following Veril towards the bridge turbolift.

* * *

Tovan looked around as the turbolift doors opened, and as soon as he saw Lydana and Veril he beckoned them over.

"We've received word from Tal'Mera," he told them flatly. "They've found Loraya's signal. We're on our way now."

Lydana was overjoyed for a moment, until she noticed Tovan's expression - his ridged brow was furrowed, his eyes hard and jaw tense. Whatever he'd heard was not good news.

"Where...where is she?" Lydana dared to ask, and he paused a moment before he managed to tell her.

"She's been located on a Tal Shiar vessel."

Lydana swore loudly, but Veril kept her composure long enough to enquire further.

"Which ship?"

"The _Khnial_."

It was Veril's turn to swear, and she looked at Lydana, her eyes full of pity.

"The _Khnial_ is Hakeev's ship," she explained. "He's well-known for torturing his prisoners...and indoctrinating them."

Lydana hid her eyes with a sleeve, determined not to let anyone her cry on a foreign vessel's bridge.

"Now do you want the good news?"

"Is there any?" Lydana asked with a sniffle, and Tovan nodded.

"It's not much, but it's something. There's another infiltrator on board, Subcommander Khimmek. He's the one who passed on the information. Says that he's managed to reverse the indoctrination procedure, but getting her off the ship is going to be harder."

Lydana refused to cry. She choked the emotion down, thinking of the time the beautiful Romulan was the first to come to her aid. She remembered the support Loraya offered after the _Steadfast_ had been saved, the care and patience she'd shown when helping Lydana deal with her own issues.

Now she had a chance, an opportunity to repay her girlfriend in kind, and she was not going to have come so far just to give up because the situation is 'too dangerous'.

"Tovan," she said firmly, drawing her pistol and checking its power, "start planning how to get me on that ship. I have some preparations to make in my shuttle." She stalked towards the turbolift again, her stride that of a woman full of determination.

"And if someone could get me a bigger gun, I'd be grateful," she called back as the lift doors closed.


	7. Chapter 7

Lydana returned to the bridge, a small object clutched in one hand and the other resting on her pistol. As she entered, Veril passed her a rifle, which she accepted happily.

"It's a plasma rifle with full auto setting," she explained to the Bajoran officer. "It's no assault minigun, but it'll do the trick." She grinned at her own comment, displaying her sharp teeth again, and Lydana slung the weapon over her shoulder.

"Thanks, Veril. I just feel better going with _anything_ that's bigger than this." She patted the pistol at her side, and Veril chuckled in agreement.

"I still don't see why _you're_ going," Tovan called to her, and Lydana walked over to him.

"Because I'm not on your crew, so you can't stop me," Lydana offered, before emitting a humourless laugh. "That, and the fact that this way you aren't risking any vital crew."

"No, just the captain's lover," Tovan shot back bluntly, causing Lydana's cheeks to flush. "If she came back but you didn't, do you think that would sit any better with her?"

Lydana remained silent for a moment, attempting to hold his gaze and failing.

"No," she said quietly, looking pointedly at the floor."But...I need to do this, Tovan. I need to get her back, and I need to know this journey was worthwhile."

Tovan carried on looking at her for a moment, before sliding out of the captain's chair.

"It's a good job we've got an entry for you then," he muttered, beckoning for her to follow him to a console at the back of the bridge.

He brought up a display of the _Khnial_ 's interior, and Lydana inspected it with trepidation as Tovan began pointing out where Loraya was held, and the routes Lydana could take. She divided her attention, one part absorbing all of Tovan's information, the other analysing the vessel. Although the massive ship lacked the thalaron weapon of the original _Scimitar_ , Praetor Shinzon's ship, the class it inspired was no less fearsome. They still mounted an unnecessary amount of disruptor cannons in the forward weapons bays, and several turrets and an additional torpedo tube in the aft ones. Not to mention its ability to fire while cloaked, rendering it a dangerous opponent in any situation.

"We're currently on approach to the _Khnial_ 's location now," Tovan explained. "We dropped out of warp at the system's perimeter, so we don't make ourselves known too soon. So far, the _Khnial_ seems to be relying on its escorts for protection - its shields are down, but that's going to change as soon as we de-cloak to beam you in."

"So how will you get Loraya out?" she asked with a frown.

"Khimmek has said he'll be trying to shut off or disrupt the shields somehow, but anything you can do to help would be appreciated."

"That's why I replicated this from my shuttle." She showed Tovan the small object in her hand, and he picked it up to inspect it.

"A Starfleet commbadge?"

"Tuned to my old comm signal. I figured that a Romulan on a Romulan ship would be hard to pick out, but a Starfleet signal would stick out as much as I do here."

"Good idea," Tovan said approvingly. "We've already signalled the Republic to request some back-up, but without some assistance...this fight could get messy."

Lydana knew what Tovan was asking, and she was afraid to do it. He wanted her to attempt to contact Starfleet and request additional reinforcements, and she wracked her brain to work out how she could make it work.

Suddenly her expression brightened as an idea occurred to her, and she looked at Tovan eagerly.

"As soon as Starfleet show up, I want us cloaked and moving out of the system, understood?"

"We'll break the minute you're back on board," he assured her, and she nodded.

"Alright then. I'll make contact, see if I can't persuade them to come here. Once that's done, move us into transporter range - I'll be waiting in the transporter room, ready to beam aboard the moment you lock the site."

"Alright then," Tovan told her, extending his hand. "Take care over there, Lydana."

She grasped his hand firmly, meeting his eyes as she did.

"And you take care out here, Tovan," she replied, smiling. "I don't fancy walking back to _Mol'Rihan_."

A rippled of laughter ran through the bridge crew, and Lydana left to make her arrangements.

* * *

A few minutes later, Lydana was stood on the transporter pad, cradling her plasma rifle and offering prayers to the Prophets that her ploy would work. If Starfleet arrived too soon or too late the plan would be useless, but she had to have faith that it would pan out. Quinn had already said that she had now become a fugitive, and they were definitely eager to apprehend her, but that meant nothing if they didn't arrive when she _needed_ them to.

She sighed, closing her eyes as she exhaled, and pushed it from her mind. It was in the hands of the Prophets now; all that remained was to find Loraya.

 _"Ten seconds, Lydana,"_ Tovan's voice said over the internal comm. _"Teleport site locked. Making our approach now."_

She made a final check of her rifle, double-checked that the comm-badge was still tucked into her wristguard, and focussed on her objective.

"Five seconds. Elements guide you."

" _Jolan Tru_ , Tovan," she managed to say, a split second before the room around her vanished in a haze of pale green light.

The Bajoran re-materialised in a corridor, broader and darker than those aboard the _Leucosia_. She immediately hid behind a buttress support and pulled out her tricorder, setting up a few tricks she usually had set on her Starfleet device, then readied her weapon and began moving.

She'd never done well in her tactical simulations, but she'd learned enough to not die immediately. She felt her panic begin to rise as the intruder alarm began sounding, but she fought it down. She had done this before, on the _Steadfast_. She could do this now.

She turned down another corridor, following the directions she remembered from viewing the internal schematics, focussing directly ahead of her. She didn't hear the group of Tal Shiar soldiers that entered the corridor behind her until her personal shield flared in response to being struck, and she immediately dropped, turned and rolled to the side in one smooth motion. The move brought her behind another buttress, and she leaned out to fire off a three-pulse burst from her weapon. The blue-green hued bolts of superheated gas struck one of the crew, burning through his uniform and the flesh of his arm with ease.

More disruptor blasts ripped into the cover around her, and Lydana pulled her tricorder again. She looked around the cover for a moment, aimed the device and triggered one of her settings, and the group were covered by a hazy dome of pale blue energy. She immediately stepped out of cover, the dampening field she'd just activated reducing the damage from the enemy weapons, and she opened fire on the group on the group. Calm and disciplined fire, was what Elisa had always tried to advocate, but it was difficult when faced with superior numbers. Nonetheless, she kept her cool, calmly putting burst after burst into the Tal Shiar unit. As the last defender fell, clutching the sizzling hole in his abdomen, Lydana looked her weapon over approvingly. It wasn't an assault minigun, true, but it would suffice.

She gave her shields a moment to recharge, then carried on down the corridor. It wasn't far to find Loraya. The hard part would be getting back out.

* * *

It only got harder from there.

The defence became more co-ordinated as time went on, and the closer Lydana got to the medical wing the more Tal Shiar soldiers stood in her way.

The young Bajoran bolted down another corridor, sliding into cover as more disruptor bolts tore past her, some hissing into her personal shield. She was acutely aware of a dull pain in her right bicep, and further inspection revealed a disruptor wound from a shot that had obviously punched through her shield. She swore viciously and shrugged it off - there'd be time to fix herself later.

She popped up out from behind the crates she was using for cover, firing a volley of plasma shots down the corridor at her opponents. Most of her shots wasted themselves uselessly against their shields, one or two breaking through to disintegrate armour and flesh with indiscriminate ease, but it wasn't enough.

She stayed upright long enough to fire another volley, dropping back down when the return fire threatened to overwhelm her shield. She knew she'd have to move soon, since she'd spotted a pair of Tal Shiar crew breaking from the group and advancing down the corridor towards her, but if she could-

Her thoughts were interrupted when a plasma grenade bounced off the top of her head, rolling to a stop a few inches from her feet.

" _Shit!_ " she hissed, using one of the choice swear words Elisa had taught her, and realised there was only one way to survive - recklessness.

She vaulted over the crates a second before the grenade detonated, the flickering jade chemical fire lighting up the corridor, and the moment her boots hit the deck she ran straight forwards, ducking the volley of disruptor streams that threatened to tear through her.

She slid into a kneeling position just in front of the two Romulans that had been coming towards her, slamming the barrel of her rifle into the gut of one as she rose, swiftly reciprocating the strike and driving the butt of it into his partner's turned and brought the butt back up, smashing it into the teeth of the officer she'd first struck, but as she turned to finish the second officer he managed to knock her weapon aside, drawing a small knife and driving into her side.

She screamed in agony as the blade bit deep, the angle of the strike only narrowly depriving him of a killing blow, and she collapsed to the deck with a whimper.

"Nice try, girl," the officer snarled, standing over her with his weapon pointed at her face, "but I'm afraid now you belong to us. Any final requests before I drag you before General Hakeev?"

"Just...one," she said slowly, clenching her teeth against the pain. "I want...you people...to stop. Calling. Me. _Girl_!"

She kicked upwards, knocking his weapon out of his hands, before drawing her pistol and firing three shots straight into his chest. She grabbed his belt as she fought through the pain to stand up again, keeping his body between her and the remaining group of Tal Shiar who were now moving towards her.

She spotted what she wanted hanging from her victim's belt, and primed the two plasma grenades she saw before charging forwards, the body held upright like a shield. A howl born of anger and pain tore from her throat, the act of running sending stabbing pains through her wounds, and with a final heave of effort she hurled the body towards the remaining Tal Shiar, diving to one side as she did.

There was time for them to open fire at her - the grenades detonated before the body even hit the deck, filling the area with chemical flame and incinerating the last members of the group.

She pushed herself up from the deck, groaning at the pain in her side, and used yet more of her fading strength to sprint through the dying plasma fire.

She didn't get through unscathed, suffering burns across her shins where the heat seared through her uniform, but eventually Lydana reached the door she had been fighting to reach. A few moments with her tricorder and she'd managed to override the door, squeezing through the small gap it left before proceeding into the wing beyond.

Despite everything, she'd still had to fight her way through a few guards in order to reach her goal. There had been officer sat behind a desk, who didn't pay attention to who she was talking to - she'd told Lydana where to go and _then_ looked up, earning a plasma blast in the chest for her troubles. After gunning down the two guards who were protecting the medical bay, Lydana stepped over the threshold, her eyes fixed on the figure laying on a medical table. Unable to contain herself, Lydana rushed to Loraya's side, checking her over for signs of injury. There were cuts and bruises around her face and forehead, and Lydana pulled the commbadge from under her wristguard, attached it to Loraya's uniform - _Tal Shiar_ uniform, she thought bitterly - and tapped it to open the channel she'd set up to the _Leucosia_.

"Good, you're here," a voice said, causing Lydana to raise her rifle in alarm as she locked eyes with another Romulan, who instantly raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

"Wait!" he called in a hushed voice, "I'm Subcommander Khimmek, I work undercover for the Republic."

Lydana relaxed the weapon, scowling at the taller man before turning back to check on Loraya.

"You shouldn't sneak up on me," she told him. "Not in this situation."

"I assure you, she will be okay...in time," he explained to her, "but for now we-"

"Are there any transport inhibitors?"

"I...no, there aren't, but we will need to lower the shields before she can be beamed out of here."

At that instant the ship shuddered, and Khimmek staggered slightly, although Lydana had to hold on to the table for balance.

"What was that?"

"Her crew," Lydana offered, "and hopefully a few friends."

"Then we need-"

"Yes, I know the shields," Lydana finished, as the ship rumbled again. "I've got an idea. Can you get me into the central computer system?"

"From the guard station down the hall, yes, but-"

"Great, let's go," she ordered, readying her weapon again, and Khimmek held an arm out to stop her.

" _But_ I can't be seen helping you," he told her quietly. "I need to remain here so that I can continue to help the Republic, so if more of the Tal Shiar show up..."

"I'll take that ri- _nngh!_ "

She finally collapsed from the wound she'd suffered earlier, and Khimmek helped her back to her feet.

"You're hurt," he pointed out, and she resisted the urge to swear at him.

"You worked that out by yourself, huh?" she gasped instead, gritting her teeth against fresh pain as she ship shuddered even more violently. "Just...get me a medkit, that should have everything I need."

She spent a few minutes working on the wound in her side with Khimmek's help, healed the wound with a dermal regenerator which she then applied to her shins as well, and gave herself a hypospray shot of a standard pain suppressant.

"Right," Lydana grunted, sliding off the spare medical table she's been sat on, "let's move."

She looked over at Loraya just in time to see her disappear in a glittering haze of emerald light, and she offered a silent prayer of thanks to the Prophets.

"Guess they opened a gap in the shields," Lydana stated, wincing as the ship heaved violently, throwing both of them to the floor.

"Inertial dampeners went offline briefly just then," she said, pushing herself to her feet again. "We have to hurry."


	8. Chapter 8

Lydana followed the Romulan back out of the medbay as they moved towards the guard station, and Khimmek immediately set to work gaining access to the computer system.

"Once I am done here, I can no longer help you," he told Lydana, his fingers dancing over the console. "I have to maintain my cover, otherwise-"

"I get it Khimmek," Lydana answered aburptly, "just get me into the system and go."

There was a brief moment of silence as Khimmek worked, while Lydana stood beside him with her rifle raised as she watched the doors. Finally the Romulan infiltrator straightened up, gesturing towards the console.

"You're in, although what you hope to achieve-"

"Is for me to worry about," she interrupted, shouldering him out of the way. "Get going then, Khimmek. And I'd advise you to look for a way off this ship, quickly."

Without another word, Khimmek hurried through a door off to Lydana's right, and as soon as the door closed again Lydana locked all the entrances to the area in which she stood and went to work.

She pulled out her tricorder and opened it, setting it beside the terminal as she worked the console. She would occasionally type a few small commands into the pocket device, and eventually she grinned wickedly.

Before arriving on the _Khnial_ , she had set up a small computer virus to break down certain essential commands for the ship's systems. But more than that, she grinned because she had found a hidden data cache, one which seemed to be connected to the 'General Hakeev' Tovan had mentioned, and she tapped her wrist communicator.

"Kassai to Tovan."

" _Tovan here, what's happening?"_

"Standby to receive a data dump, I've found a few files you might be interested in."

" _Understood, but there's a problem – we've detected Federation warp signatures inbound, they'll be here in a few minutes."_

Lydana swore. She thought she'd have more time.

"Understood Tovan. I'll send this data then I'll be about ready to leave. Kassai out."

She began sending the data she'd uncovered, then allowed herself a harsh chuckle as she typed two final commands into the computer.

"Indoctrinate this, you bastards," she muttered, stabbing her finger onto the icon that uploaded her instructions to the computer.

* * *

Although internally nothing seemed to change, externally the _Khnial_ had a problem. A fresh command had told the computer to drop the cloak and shields, and the computer complied cheerfully. The immense vessel shimmered back into existence, its shields forgotten, and the Romulan vessels present all turned their attention towards it.

* * *

As the fire against the ship tripled in intensity, Lydana found herself struggling to remain upright as the vessel heaved under the assault. She could hear the detonations ringing through the attached corridors, and the pounding of desperate fists against the doors that sealed the area. Despite her medical training, and the oath she had taken as part of it, she was all too glad to see the terrorists who had tortured her girlfriend burn.

A tone from the console told her the information had finished uploading, and Lydana snatched her tricorder back up and put a plasma shot into the computer console, before hitting her wrist communicator again.

"Tovan, beam me out!"

She could see the doors starting to be forced open now, and she raised her rifle and fired into the small gap. She'd only squeezed off a short burst, disintegrating a Romulan's face as he tried to force the door open further, when finally the dark corridors of the _Khnial_ faded out of view, to be replaced by the lighter greens of the _Leucosia_ 's walls.

"Transporter room to the bridge, we have her," the female Romulan informed Tovan, before offering Lydana a smile. "Welcome back, sir. Your presence is requested on the bridge."

"Thank you, I better not keep them waiting then," Lydana replied, hurrying out of the transporter room towards the turbolift. She was glad that one part of the plan had succeeded – now she needed to help her friends escape the firefight between the two Romulan factions.

* * *

Lydana stumbled into the bridge, as the ship took several hits from the Tal Shiar forces gathered with the _Khnial_ , and Tovan looked back at her.

"We're taking some heavy fire here, Lydana," he called out, "if you have any Starfleet tricks up your sleeve, I'd appreciate them!"

Lydana's eyes flickered across the viewscreen, taking in the locations of the enemy vessels, then crossed over to the science officer's console.

"Do you know how to make a gravity well?" she asked hurriedly, and the young officer shook his head.

"Uh...n-no ma'am..."

"Here, let me show you."

She began talking the young man through the adjustments he needed to make, pointing out the display readings to note and the changes in the deflector dish to pay attention to. As she was teaching the young man, Tovan looked at her again and frowned.

"Lydana, could you explain what you're doing, please? We need some information here!"

"We're readying an inverse graviton pulse," she informed him, turning to meet his gaze. "If we target the centre of the enemy formation with an inverse graviton pulse from the main deflector array, it creates a 'well' of high gravity, drawing in most ships and holding larger ones. With them held in place-"

"We can hit them with a full spread from the cannons!" Tovan finished, his expression brightening. He turned to the tactical station, his eyes blazing with vengeful fire. "T'Shera, prepare a spread volley from the cannons and a full spread of torpedoes! Fire on Lydana's mark!"

Lydana kept an eye on the science officer's display, then muttered something under her breath.

"Helm, bring us around for another pass! We need a better firing angle!"

There was a brief moment as the helm officer looked at Tovan for confirmation, which he gave quickly, and the view on the screen wheeled as the ship pulled around for a fresh attack run. Lydana kept an eye on the science console, waiting for the right moment to activate the pulse, and finally stabbed her finger towards the science officer.

"Now!"

* * *

A dark, purple-pink beam lanced out from the warbird's deflector, detonating at a point in the middle of the Tal Shiar formation. A dark, swirling mass of bruised energy erupted at the target point, the sudden shift in gravitational forces dragging smaller ships back in towards it. The larger ships, like the _Khnial_ and a handful of the _Mogai_ -class warbirds, were held in place, and the _Leucosia_ carried on its turn until its weapons were finally brought to bear.

Lydana gave the second order, and a wide-spread volley of disruptor cannon fire tore into all of the stricken Tal Shiar vessels. This was shortly followed by a full spread of disruptor torpedoes, the burning emerald projectiles punching through shields and tearing vast holes in the opposing ships, several of which detonated under the onslaught. The rest of the Republic fleet joined in, pounding the Tal Shiar flotilla with cannon fire and torpedoes, and it was at this point that the Starfleet vessels tore into existence.

* * *

"Lydana!"

"I see them!"

The Bajoran swore as she spotted the four large Starfleet ships, feeling a pang of sadness as she saw the ships she had grown up watching engage the Tal Shiar.

"Tovan, break off and prepare to cloak," she told him, and he gave the necessary orders to his own crew. Lydana moved to a separate console, inputting a few commands and turning back to Tovan.

"I need you to open the shuttle bay."

"What? Why?"

"Just do it!"

Tovan complied, and as he did the shuttle that Lydana had stolen before began to power up, as it received her commands. As soon as it had cleared the shuttle bay, the doors closed once again and Lydana at last gave the order to cloak.

"Get us out of here, Tovan. Please."

"Helm, set course for _Mol'Rihan_ , warp four, and engage when set."

"Aye sir."

Lydana heaved a sigh, the events of the last hour catching up with her, and leaned over her auxiliary console as she fought to stop her limbs trembling. So much had happened, and so quickly, that she'd barely had time to process it. With Loraya safe and the _Leucosia_ cloaked and heading out of the system, she finally had time to do just that, and it was difficult for her to come to terms with.

Regardless of her thoughts on the Tal Shiar, she had killed several of them on her way to save Loraya. How many of those had served the Tal Shiar simply because they wanted what was best for their people? How many of them died unnecessarily? Maybe if she had stopped to try a more diplomatic, _Federation_ approach...

No. She was Bajoran, and her people knew all too well that groups like the Tal Shiar responded only to force.

And yet, that didn't ease her conscience a great deal.

"Care to explain what that was all about?" Tovan asked firmly, striding over to her as soon as the ship was out of danger. Lydana looked at him, and offered a weak smile in response.

"Starfleet came because they wanted me," she explained, "so that's what I gave them. I set the shuttle to head towards the nearest Starfleet signature, and before I left I'd made sure to put my uniform in there...with my commbadge."

Tovan gave her a quizzical look, and she grinned.

"They already expected me to go them, because I said I was giving myself up, so they wouldn't have looked at the shuttle too closely – they would see my comm signal and take it at face value."

Tovan thought about this for a moment, before bursting into laughter.

"So all they got," he managed eventually, "was a uniform and the shuttle you stole?" He shook his head and chuckled. "Nice work."

"Well, I did tell them I'd give it back," she joked, and Tovan patted her shoulder gently.

As he was about to turn away, a frantic voice sounded from his wrist communicator.

" _Medbay to Tovan!"_

"Tovan here, what's wrong?"

There was a sound of weapons fire from the other end of the channel, accompanied by incoherent screaming.

" _It's the Centurion!"_ The voice shouted. _"She's out of sedation, but it seems the torture left a lasting effect. She still thinks she's on a Tal Shiar ship and that this is a trick!"_

Lydana looked at Tovan, her eyes wide with fear and determination.

"I'm going down there," she said bluntly, and he nodded after the barest hesitation.

"I'm sending Lydana down, maybe she can help," Tovan informed the medical officer, as Lydana ran for the turbolift.

* * *

Lydana rushed through the medbay doors, stopping short as disruptor beam flashed across her vision and impacting against the wall.

"Get away from me, Tal Shiar scum!" was all Lydana heard from her right, as another salvo of shots erupted from just behind a medical bed that had been turned sideways.

"Loraya?" the Bajoran ventured, moving slowly towards the area where her lover was apparently hiding, and she was rewarded with Loraya tentatively standing up. She kept one hand on the medical bed, her frown spoke of distrust, but at least she wasn't shooting.

"L-Lydana?" The small, broken voice that came from the woman was like a blade in Lydana's heart – to see her girlfriend, a woman who was strong-willed, passionate and courageous, reduced to a broken shadow of her former self, was almost more than she could take.

"It's me, my love," Lydana said quietly. "I had a bit of an incident with Starfleet, but I had to come and find you."

Loraya's eyes were bloodshot and sore, her hair dishevelled, and she seemed to have trouble standing. She looked at Lydana for a few minutes, her eyes desperate and haunted, and eventually her frown deepened and her lips curled in a snarl of rage.

"More Tal Shiar trickery!" she shouted, and began firing again, forcing Lydana to duck.

"Loraya, it's me!" she shouted over the sound of disruptor blasts, and Loraya paused.

"Prove it!"

Lydana straightened up again, seeing that Loraya was having even greater difficulty remaining upright now, fighting the urge to cry when the woman she cared for so much needed her. She walked steadily towards Loraya as she began to speak, defying the disruptor pistol aimed at her head.

"I first met you in the Acamar system," Lydana said slowly, "when I was searching for the missing _DaVinci_. I found it, but I also found the Tal Shiar, who invaded my ship. You turned up with...what was it you said you had? A pair of _Ha'apax_ warbirds, you said. You saved my life, most of my crew and what was left of my ship. You gave me advice on being a captain, and you said you'd always be there for me."

"Not enough!" Loraya snapped. "Anyone could find that out!"

Lydana stepped closer still, her hands up in a placating gesture.

"You...you first confessed to having feelings for me when I invited you and your officers to my ship, after we defeated the Tholians. You called me 'an astounding young woman', and no doubt I blushed in response. I usually do, don't I?"

By this point, Lydana was stood practically at Loraya's side, and the Romulan's resolve was breaking. Her pistol hand was shaking, tears trailing down her cheek, and her expression was softening.

"I promise you, my love, it's me," Lydana whispered. "You're safe now, and I'm here with you."

There was a tense moment as Loraya's grip tightened on the weapon, but at last it loosened again and the pistol dropped to the deck.

"Oh... _Lyddie,_ " Loraya breathed, before collapsing into Lydana's arms and sobbing into her shoulder.

Lydana eased the Romulan back onto the medical bed, beckoning the staff out of their hiding place, one hand stroking Loraya's hair soothingly.

"I'll tend to the Centurion," she told the chief medical officer, "just leave me a tray of instruments. You see to your staff, make sure no-one else was hurt."

The medical officer nodded in compliance, marching off to get the instruments she needed, and Lydana tapped her wrist communicator.

"Lydana to Tovan."

" _Tovan here, what-"_

"She's fine," Lydana interrupted. "I'm going to stay with her a while. I think it'll be safer for your crew if I do anyway, because I'm not Romulan."

" _Understood,"_ Tovan answered, his tone sincere. _"I'll come and see you both when I can. Tovan out."_

Once the tray was brought over to her, Lydana set about mending Loraya's injuries from the torture, talking to her girlfriend constantly to reassure her of what was happening, and fighting her own tears at the same time.


	9. Chapter 9

After an hour of slow, steady treatment, Lydana escorted the Centurion back to her quarters, guiding the wounded Romulan down the corridors with an arm around her waist, even as Loraya leaned on her shorter lover.

The Bajoran paused to open the door, then gently ushered the Romulan into the room and lowered her onto the bunk. Loraya grimaced in pain but eventually settled, keeping her hands resting affectionately on Lydana's arms.

"Thank you, Lydana," she said, in a voice far smaller and more vulnerable than Lydana could bear. "I thought when I saw you, it was...it was just another trick. The Tal Shiar, they..." her voice trailed off, and she shook her head as if to rid herself of the memories.

"It's okay now, my love," Lydana assured the older woman, gently tugging an arm free to run a hand through the Romulan's hair. "You're safe. The Tal Shiar won't harm you anymore."

Loraya leaned against the young officer's touch, closing her eyes and savouring the feeling of safety.

"I have to say," the Centurion added, a small smirk tugging at the edges of her lips, "our uniform looks good on you."

"I thought so too," Lydana giggled, looking down at the emerald uniform. "I'm thinking I might keep the belt."

She looked back at Loraya, and noticed her girlfriend's expression had become stern and serious.

"What?" Lydana asked with a frown, worried at what prompted the change of mood.

"I know what you've done for me, Lydana, what it cost you. The doctor told me before you came down to the medbay. That was a foolish move, my sweet."

"Loraya, I _had_ to!" Lydana protested, but any further complaints were cut off with Loraya's raised hand.

"I am not unthankful. I am beyond grateful that you would sacrifice your career and risk your life to save me, and it only serves to increase my own love for you. But your career in Starfleet was your _life._ I saw how excited you were when we landed on Dewa, to be exploring and discovering, not just for yourself but for Starfleet _and_ the Republic. I never wanted our relationship to jeopardise your own career."

"Our relationship did no such thing, Centurion," Lydana snapped defensively. "I _chose_ to cast aside Starfleet for you, because as important as my career is – _was_ – to me, you are even more so. I can find another career. I can't find another you."

Loraya ran her hands down Lydana's sides, stopping pointedly at the tear in her uniform where the Tal Shiar blade had bitten deep.

"What about this?" she asked. "What if this had been a little deeper? You would never have gotten to me, and neither of us would have survived. What price your sacrifice then?"

"Loraya..." the young Bajoran was unsure how to continue, as her eyes burned with the threat of tears.

"It's okay, my love," Loraya said, offering her lover a warm smile. "I'm not angry at you, I just want to make sure you are taken care of, that's all."

She motioned for Lydana to move closer, and as the younger woman did Loraya pulled her down and kissed her longingly.

"Consider that a thank you for saving my life," she whispered, as she let Lydana go again, and the former Starfleet officer blushed.

"Well, if-"

" _Tovan to Loraya."_

Lydana sighed. It certainly didn't take long for the Centurion to get harrassed by the strain of command again, and as she looked at the Romulan her expression seemed to echo the sentiment.

"Loraya here."

" _We have a transmission for you from Subcommander Nadel. Shall I patch it through?"_

"Yes please, Tovan," Loraya answered wearily, standing up again with Lydana's help and walking shakily to her personal comm screen.

It suddenly lit with the small, narrow face of Loraya's superior officer, who smiled weakly at her.

 _"Centurion S'Vae,"_ she greeted her, _"I am glad to see you are recovered so soon."_

"I'm not, Subcommander," Loraya stated flatly. "My recovery is barely beginning. What can I do for you sir?"

" _Forgive me, I did not think. I had wanted to bring you good news – in light of your actions, and the intel you have managed to feed us, the Republic Fleet Command has decided to promote you to the rank of Subcommander, and with this new assignment will of course be a new ship. We had hoped...well, it doesn't matter. No doubt you would benefit from some leave to recover?"_

Loraya nodded.

"Yes sir. I formally request-"

" _You have it, Centurion,"_ Nadel interrupted, smiling sincerely. _"Take as long as you need. When you return, your rank, and your new ship, will be waiting for you. Be safe, Loraya. Nadel, out."_

The screen returned to its normal blank state, and Lydana moved up beside her girlfriend.

"Are you okay?"

Loraya sighed heavily, scrubbing at her fatigued eyesand attempting to shrug.

"I...I don't know," she muttered. "I need to rest. I need...I need to get away. Somewhere peaceful, somewhere I can recover from what happened. Any ideas?"

Lydana smiled softly at her, and nodded.

"Yes. First, you get some sleep. Then, I suggest we go somewhere nice. Risa, maybe, or maybe go to the Alpha quadrant and visit somewhere pleasant there. Take some time for ourselves."

"We'll have to be careful though," Loraya countered, "since you're still technically still a wanted fugitive."

"True enough, so maybe-"

The comm chimed again, and Loraya swore in Romulan.

"Yes Tovan, what is it?" she snapped viciously, as she begun pulling off her tunic.

" _Sorry to bother you again sir, but I thought you_ both _needed to hear this,"_ Tovan replied, his tone apologetic but tense. _"We've picked up a distress call from a Federation ship, sounds like they got pounded pretty badly by...something."_

Lydana gasped in shock. For all the fact that she was a wanted criminal, the Federation was her home and all she had known. The people who made up the multi-racial organisation were as much Lydana's people as other Bajorans were, and she still felt a duty to them.

"Loraya, please," Lydana said in a hushed voice, and the Romulan needed no second bidding.

"Set course for the distress signal, Tovan, best speed. Lydana will join you on the bridge shortly."

" _Understood, sir. Tovan, out."_

Before Lydana could say anything, Loraya turned to her and fixed her with a serious glare.

"No risks, Lyddie, you understand? No bold moves, no leaping to the rescue – think, plan, analyse. Understand?"

Lydana felt her cheeks heat, as she found out at precisely the wrong moment just how much she enjoyed Loraya telling her what to do. That was something she felt warranted further investigation...for science, of course.

She cleared her throat, which had inexplicably gone dry, and finally managed a cracked "yes sir," before heading towards the door.

"Lydana?"

The Bajoran turned again, and Loraya beckoned her back with a crooked finger. As soon as she was within arms reach, Loraya grabbed her undershirt and pulled her close, kissing her passionately before letting go of her.

"Please be safe, Lyddie," she said afterwards, taking advantage of the younger woman's breathlessness. "I...I need you right now. I can just about bear to let you look into this, but...just come back to me."

"It's a promise, Raya," Lydana replied, and Loraya smirked.

"Raya...I think I could get used to that."

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I can. I love you, Raya."

"Love you too, Lyddie," the Centurion answered with a smile, and Lydana headed for the door once again, snatching up her uniform jacket as she went.

* * *

"Lydana, glad you're here," Tovan announced, as Lydana walked onto the bridge. "We're just about to get close enough to put the distress signal on screen."

"Do we know what ship it is?"

"I'm afraid not, but your people are our allies – it's right that we help."

"Thank you, Tovan," she told him, but he shrugged the compliment away.

"At times like these, allies need to stick together, otherwise we'll all fall to our enemies."

"We are coming into range now, Tovan," Satra announced, and Tovan ordered it put onto the main viewscreen.

The screen switched to a static-filled image of another Bajoran officer, with short dark hair and light blue eyes, set amid a face that seemed permanently surprised. A jagged wound ran down her forehead, from the upper left down to the bridge of her nose, and the bridge behind her was a mess of ruined cabling and blazing consoles.

" _This...this is Comm..der Myrryn Nyra, of the...ederation Starship_ Queen Mary... _"_

"Oh no," Lydana whispered, as the message continued.

" _We have...een attacked by Undine, and are i...eed of imm...iate assistance. T-to any v-vessels...I repeat, this...this is Comm-"_

The screen blanked again suddenly, and Tovan looked at Satra.

"Sorry sir, we've lost it. They must have run out of power for the emergency beacon."

"Lydana? Do you know her?"

Lydana shook her head, wondering what had happened to the fierce, unstoppable Captain Tenahbi.

"No, but I know the ship," she answered. "Her captain was sent to apprehend me when news of Loraya's apparent 'Tal Shiar involvement' got out, and she tried to stop me as I fled Earth. They must have been a part of the fleet that came to hunt me out here as well."

Tovan looked at the screen, then back to Lydana.

"And you want to help them?"

"I have to," she said, not looking at him. "It's still my duty."

"But it's not, Lyddie, not anymore," he told her, and she wondered when she became so close to a group of Romulans that they used the familiar form of her name, too.

"It is," she told him flatly, finally looking in his direction. "And it always will be. We go. I'll be waiting in the transporter room, and I'd appreciate an away team."

She strode from the bridge back towards the turbolift, and Tovan sighed wearily as he ordered an away team to join her in the main transporter room.

* * *

A short while later, the _Leucosia_ finally entered transporter range, and Lydana beamed over to the _Queen Mary_...or what was left of it. The Undine – the race originally known as Species 8472 when _Voyager_ first encountered them – had done a meticulous job of tearing it apart. Its port nacelle was missing, the starboard one a ruined memory, and the saucer section had been almost completely stripped of all armour plating. The main hull was adorned with vicious wounds from weapons fire, some mere grazes but most were long, jagged canyons of molten metal and craters of exposed decks and weapons arrays.

Lydana and her team materialised onto the bridge of the stricken vessel, and several of them instantly pulled out their tricorders. Lydana, however, hurried to the figure slumped in the captain's chair, checking her pulse and looking for any other wounds.

"Commander?" she tried, patting the woman's cheek gently. "Commander Myrryn? Can you hear me?"

Myrryn's eyes flickered open, and she squinted weakly at Lydana, her breath coming in short, wheezing gasps.

"So...someone...someone heard me..."

"We did," Lydana told her softly, opening her medical kit. "My name is Kassai Lydana, I'm here to help."

Myrryn gave what might have been a snort, if she'd had enough breath.

"Kassai...w-we...were sent to...bring you back...guess we...didn't manage that..."

"Hush now, Nyra," Lydana told her, perfoming what little treatment she could to stabilise the Commander's condition. "Do you know where the Captain is?"

Nyra struggled to raise her arm, pointing just ahead of her, and Lydana followed her hand.

Halfway between the captain's chair and the helm consoles, half buried beneath a mass of cables and fallen ceiling plating, was the inert form of Captain Tenahbi, and Lydana hurried over to the Caitian.

To her surprise, the vicious officer was still alive, and she began trying to move the debris pinning her to the deck.

"Hiven, help me over here!"

Hiven, the tall, broad-shouldered, muscular Romulan she'd met on the _Steadfast_ , marched over and immediately began picking up large sections of detritus, regardless of its heat. He cast it aside with ease, finally pulling away enough to allow Lydana to haul the unconscious captain free.

"We need to be quick, Miss Kassai," Hiven told her in his deep, rumbling voice. "Computer says the warp core is going to go critical soon."

"Get the commander, I've got the Captain." Lydana hit the communicator in her gauntlet, then began pulling Tenahbi into her arms.

"Lydana to Tovan."

" _Tovan here."_

"Get a transporter lock on every survivor you can, the warp core is about to blow. Prepare to beam everyone directly to sickbay, we have a lot of wounded."

" _Understood, we'll do what we can."_

Lydana tapped the communicator again and gathered the Caitian up, moving around the bridge to stand with her small team. She hated to spend so little time on a ruined vessel, but it was the fastest way to save as many lives as possible.

She had to resign herself to the fact that there may be some she wouldn't save, but any was better than none.

" _Tovan to Lydana, we've got as many as we can. Beaming you back now."_

Without any delay, the view of the destroyed bridge hazed and vanished in front of Lydana, soon getting replaced by the familiar view of the _Leucosia_ 's sickbay, and the moment they appeared she rushed over to the nearest bed and laid Tenahbi on it, hitting her communicator again.

"We're all here Tovan, get us out of here. I'll stay here, I can actually be useful now."

" _Understood. Where should we go?"_

Lydana took a deep breath, and made a decision. There was only one place they _should_ go.

"Set course for Earth Spacedock, maximum warp."

The channel closed with a soft buzz, and a Romulan orderly appeared at her side with a tray of medical devices. She picked what she needed and leaned over Tenahbi, ready to sterilise the space where the Caitian's left eye used to be. As she did, however, the narrow-framed captain bolted almost upright, seizing Lydana's arm in a vice-like grip. The Bajoran attempted to hide her pain, as she felt Tenahbi's claws extend and pierce her skin, and she met the burning accusatory glare from the captain's remaining wrathful eye.

"We came...for _you_ ," Tenahbi rasped, her voice rough and hoarse. "You...are the reason...my ship is destroyed. You...the blood...of my crew...is on _your_ hands...foolish child..."

"Captain," Lydana said levelly, and the claws pricked a little deeper, causing blood to trickle down Lydana's arm. "Captain Tenahbi, you're hurting me. I am trying to help you."

"The bastards...took my eye...that-"

"Is my fault too, I'm sure," Lydana finished. "Now if you're finished accusing me for things I had no control over, I need to sterilise your wounds and prepare you for surgery, as well as seeing to the other survivors. Let. Me. Go."

At last Tenahbi released her, dropping back to the bed with a groan, and Lydana set about her work.

* * *

It wasn't long before the sickbay door hissed open, and Loraya marched in as sternly as she could manage, although she still favoured her right leg. She limped angrily over to Lydana, still working on the Caitian's wounds, and glared at her.

"What madness is this I've heard now, Lydana?" Loraya hissed, and her lover continued her work without looking at the Romulan.

"I'm sorry, my love, you might need to be more specific."

"You're taking them back to Earth Spacedock?! Lydana, you'll be captured!"

Lydana heaved a weary sigh, shaking her head to clear her vision of a stray lock of hair. She paused in her ministrations and looked at Loraya sadly, her eyes beginning to burn already.

"Raya...I can't keep running. I have to face the consequences of my actions eventually, and besides...these survivors need to be taken back to the Federation. You _know_ I'm right, and I wish I didn't have to go back...but I need to take these people back home. I'll face up to what I've done, and after that..."

She let the silence speak for her, and Loraya's expression twisted.

"But what about _us?_ " she pleaded. "Don't _I_ get a say in your fate?"

"You might," Lydana answered. "Any report you file may help mitigate the damage I've caused. I didn't kill anyone on the way out either, that has to help. But please...let me do what is right. That's what you once advised me to do, after all."

She turned back to work, but not before Loraya caught her hand. She looked at the Romulan officer, and leaned in to give her a gentle kiss on the lips.

"Don't worry, Raya. I'll love you no matter what happens, or where I am."

"You better, young lady," Loraya declared, sniffing back uncharacteristic tears. "And if they imprison you...I'll start an interstellar incident just to get you back. I can promise you that."

She left Lydana to her work, one hand covering her mouth as she hurried from the sickbay, and as the younger woman carried on she wondered if she would ever get to see the woman she loved after they reached Earth.


	10. Chapter 10

Lydana stumbled wearily through the door to Loraya's quarters, scrubbing at her eyes with the back of one hand and attempting to remove her jacket with the other. Eventually another pair of gentle hands assisted her, dropping the garment to the floor before wrapping themselves around her waist from behind.

"I didn't dare sleep without you," Loraya said, resting her chin on Lydana's shoulder. It hurt the Bajoran to hear such fear from her lover, when she had always been so amazed by the older woman's courage. It was just one more reason why she had no regrets about destroying the Tal Shiar warship.

She rested her hand over Loraya's, leaning back against her as the Romulan nuzzled against her neck.

"Well, I'm here now, my love," she said, gently kissing Loraya's cheek. "Let's get you ready for bed."

Loraya's hands slid reluctantly from Lydana's midriff, and the shorter woman turned around and helped Loraya undress. As she did, she took the opportunity to check on the wounds she'd suffered in captivity, mentally assessing her work as if she had been a Starfleet instructor.

All in all, she had to admit her work was actually pretty good, with Loraya only complaining about some stiffness in certain areas, and that was easily treated with use and some careful massaging.

"Lydana...I'm afraid."

The young Bajoran rose slowly, folding her lover's trousers carefully as she met her eyes.

"About what, Raya?"

"About...a lot of things. I'm afraid to sleep. I'm afraid to take you back to Earth, afraid to lose you. Can we not just...send the survivors away in a shuttle? You could stay here, we could go to _Mol'Rihan..._ "

Her voice trailed off as Lydana rested a gentle hand on the Romulan officer's cheek, and wondered just when their roles reversed.

"Raya...you know I wish I could," she sad softly, "but there's no guarantee the survivors from the _Queen Mary_ would even get back to Earth in a shuttle from here. And I can't keep running from Starfleet. I achieved my goal – I got you back. Now I can go back to them with a clear conscience, and the proof that you are not the traitor they believed you to be. At most they should just end my career-"

A snort from Loraya cut her off, and the taller woman shook her head.

"How casually you speak of such a thing," she said, lacking the energy to put any bite into her tone. "Your career was everything to you, and now it is – what? A burden?"

"No, dearest – it's simply that everything else is insignificant when compared to my first and only love."

Loraya smiled, closing her eyes and resting her forehead against Lydana's, until the young woman slapped her backside playfully.

"Come on, bed," she commanded. "Doctor's orders."

"Not until you're ready to join me," Loraya muttered, leaning in to kiss her as she began to pull Lydana's undershirt up.

* * *

Loraya woke in the middle of the night, her terrified scream startling Lydana awake. She sobbed uncontrollably into her hands, and Lydana pulled her into a protective embrace, stroking her hair and back until the sobs died away. Loraya continued to cling to Lydana like a broken child, her head on the Bajoran's bare shoulder, and Lydana kept holding her until her hitched breathing began to settle into a regular rhythm once more. Once she was sure Loraya had fallen asleep again, Lydana gently lowered her back down against the bed, wrapping an arm defensively around her girlfriend's waist.

"Don't worry, Raya," she whispered, "I won't let anyone harm you again. I promise you that."

Eventually, Lydana fell asleep as well, and the two women both slept in relative peace until the ship's morning.

* * *

A knot of tension rose in Lydana's gut as she stared at the viewscreen, watching the Earth Spacedock slowly growing in size, the magniifcent blue-green marble where she'd trained just behind it. She didn't realise it, but the same tension she felt was mirrored in Loraya, who was fearing the loss of her lover.

"I'm going with you," the Centurion announced, and Lydana inhaled slowly.

"I don't think that will be such a good idea, my love," she said, turning to meet Loraya's eyes. "Until I speak with them, they still think you're a traitor. Have you sent them your report?"

Loraya nodded.

"Yes, although I've heard nothing so far. I hope it helps, my sweet, I truly do."

"Sirs?"

Both women turned to Satra, who had just entered the bridge, and she came to a stop just in front of them.

"The Starfleet crew members are gathered in transporter room two, and are ready to depart on your orders. I believe there is just one person we are waiting for." She nodded gently towards Lydana as she said this, and the Bajoran took a deep breath.

"Time to face the music," she sighed, and Loraya frowned.

"I never did understand that phrase," she said, hoping to delay her lover's departure for just a few more seconds.

"Me neither, but the humans are a strange lot." She turned to the Centurion and embraced her firmly, before leaning up to kiss her on the lips. "I'll see you again, Raya. Count on it."

Loraya bit her lip, trying not cry as she held Lydana tightly.

"You better, Dana," she said in a shaking voice. "Otherwise I'll turn the entire Federation upside-down looking for you."

"I'd pay good latinum to see that," Lydana chuckled, letting go of her girlfriend at last. Before she could speak again, Loraya interrupted her.

"Just so you know, we're going to wait here for a little bit, to hear what happens. I don't want to be half way home if I need to start kicking down doors."

There was moment of silence between the two women, a silence born of a reluctance to say good-bye. Eventually they settled on one last kiss, before Lydana finally headed for the lift and the transporter room.

* * *

Lydana had replicated herself a simple Romulan civilian outfit, comprised of a sleeveless vest top and a knee-length skirt with an angled hemline, that rose to mid-thigh length on the left. She'd completed the look with a pair of short boots, and pulled her hair back into a plain ponytail, and felt reasonably ready to face Admiral Quinn.

She could feel the eyes of the survivors tracking her every move, the malevolent glare from Tenahbi strong enough to melt a ship's hull. As she stepped onto the transporter pad she could sense the Caitian's hostility, mainly due to the agitated swishing of her slender tail and the narrowing of her remaining eye.

Nyra, at least, seemed to harbour no such hostility, and several of the other officers seemed indifferent. Nonetheless, Lydana still felt uncomfortable standing with them, Tenahbi's words still burning in her mind.

 _The blood...of my crew...is on_ your _hands..._

How much of that was true? She would probably never know, but regardless of her defiant words to the Captain, she felt the responsibility keenly enough.

At long last, she took a deep, shuddering breath, and gave the order the transporter tech was waiting for.

"Energise."

In a matter of seconds, the whole group dissolved from the deck of the Romulan ship, materialising on the brighter, more spacious deck of Earth Spacedock.

As soon as they appeared, a group of medical orderlies who had been waiting for them moved forwards, looking over the survivors from the _Queen Mary_.

Lydana herself, however, was greeted by two Starfleet marines, phaser rifles held across their chests.

"Miss Kassai, you are to come with us immediately," one of them stated formally, and the young woman simply nodded, even as her chest constricted with worry. She stepped away from the rest of the group, her chin up and back straight, displaying a confidence she was a long way from feeling as she followed the marines, and prayed to the Prophets that Loraya would be safe without her.

* * *

"Welcome back, Miss Kassai."

Lydana flinched at the officer's tone, and wished it had been Admiral Quinn sitting in the chair. Instead, she faced the stern, uncompromising and impassive features of Admiral T'Nae, a Vulcan normally stationed at Starbase 39-Sierra.

"Greetings, Admiral," Lydana offered, suppressing any outward sign of her surprise. The dark-haired woman stared at Lydana for a moment, then went back to examining her record on a padd in front of her.

"An interesting career you have had, Miss Kassai," she stated, not looking at the Bajoran. "Indeed, you have excelled in many scientific and medical fields, and even shown an ingenuity in combat situations some captains could be said to lack."

"Thank y-"

"However," T'Nae continued, sipping a mug of spiced tea, "nothing in this file suggests why an officer as exemplary as yourself would suddenly act like a crazed Klingon, fighting her way out of confinement and absconding with a Starfleet shuttle to disappear halfway across the quadrant. Perhaps you could enlighten me."

Lydana resisted the urge to shift her weight as T'Nae's stare returned to her, her race's characteristic lack of emotion doing nothing for Lydana's belief she was being judged.

She thought for a moment, searching for the right words to explain her actions.

"Something about the information Captain T'Lor gave me didn't seem...right," she began. "Of course I was worried that I had been deceived, that Centurions S'Vae had used our relationship to...what's the phrase the humans use? 'Pull the wool over my eyes.' However, I couldn't shake the feeling that the information T'Lor had was either wrong, or simply part of a much greater whole, and that it was the bigger picture that we needed to see."

"So on that basis, you broke out of your quarters, knocked many guards unconscious, stole a shuttle and made your escape?"

Despite the lack of emotional inflection, Lydana _knew_ now she was being judged.

"Yes, sir. I felt that I could find better, more reliable information-"

"By speaking with her conspirators," T'Nae interrupted. "Hardly a method that would ingratiate yourself with anyone looking for evidence."

Lydana's jaw worked silently, and she realised she had no reply for that. She hung her head sadly, trying desperately to find any words that would save her.

"Admiral...I know how it looks. I know my actions make little sense in any context but the worst, but I _was_ right. By fighting to save-"

"Do you think the Admiralty would care that you were right?" T'Nae asked flatly. "Right or wrong, we only act on the evidence presented to us, and in that moment all the evidence pointed to the fact that you were exactly what you were accused of."

Lydana's fight failed her, and she hung her head once more.

"Luckily for you, we received word from Commander Tal'Mera and Subcommander Nadel, explaining the truth of the matter after you had liberated your... _girlfriend._ " She almost sneered the word, as if the very idea of the emotions it came with were distasteful. "If you had not helped them, we might-"

A knock at the edge of the door interrupted her, and the admiral beckoned for a young commander to enter.

"Sorry to interrupt Admiral," the young Saurian male said, gesturing with a handful of extra padds, "I've compiled those reports you wanted."

T'Nae held a hand out silently, taking the three hand-held devices and looking over the first one as the young officer left.

Lydana stood in silence as T'Nae continued reading, sipping her tea, and eventually Lydana cleared her throat.

"Sorry sir, am I-"

"No," the Admiral replied curtly, and carried on reading in silence.

Eventually, she made her way through all three padds, and turned to regard Lydana once again.

"Do you know what these are, Miss Kassai?"

"Um..."

"They are reports," she stated, "from a variety of people involved with you. Your lover, whose opinion can not be wholly discounted despite her bias. Her science officer, Satra. Subcommander Nadel herself. Admiral Quinn. The old reports from captains Yim and Vo'Lok, who are no fools. Your prior science and communications officer, Ensign T'Vrell. Commander Myrryn, who believes she owes her life to you and your own dedication to your duty. Even-" she paused, and Lydana swore there was a ghost of surprise in her eyes -"Captain Tenahbi."

Lydana choked suddenly, shocked by the sudden declaration.

" _Tenahbi?_ " she hissed. "But she hates me!"

"Certainly, and yet she grudgingly admits that you handled yourself with skill, professionalism and maturity – she overheard your conversation with Miss S'Vae, where you stated a willingness to face the consequences of your actions."

Lydana took a long breath, before asking the question she feared.

"And...what consequences _am_ I to face?"

T'Nae idly drummed her fingers on the desk for a moment, before fixing Lydana with a steely glare.

"Despite all of this, and despite the fact that no-one was harmed during your escape, you did still defy orders. You still stole Starfleet property, and you still assaulted several officers. We could take this to a full court-martial and trial...but under the circumstances, taking into account your selflessness in saving the _Queen Mary_ 's crew, we will settle for summary dismissal."

Lydana closed her eyes, and fought the urge to weep. She had been prepared for such a verdict, but had not been prepared for how much it would still hurt.

"Perhaps this might be a good time to return home, take stock of things and work out how you will move on," the Vulcan suggested, and Lydana nodded.

"Y-yes, sir," she replied hoarsely. "Th...thank you, sir. May I borrow a terminal to contact Loraya?"

T'Nae nodded, gesturing to a terminal nearby, and Lydana trudged over to it glumly.

* * *

" _Lydana! You're still free, I take it?"_

Lydana nodded weakly, managing a smile for her girlfriend.

"I am, for what it's worth. As I suspected, they've chosen to dismiss me from service. I honestly expected as much. But I thought I might head home for a while, to Bajor, and then I thought...well, Bajor is a beautiful world, very relaxing, a-and it did wonders for _my_ recovery..."

Loraya smiled as she realised what she was trying to ask, and she nodded.

" _I'd love to, Dana,"_ she said affectionately. _"_ _We'll beam you back shortly, then we'll set course for the Alpha quadrant. I've been wanting to ask you more about these 'Prophets' of yours, anyway – why not see the faith at its source?"_

Lydana wasn't sure how she did it, but Loraya's attitude lifted her spirits easily. She smiled at her lover, wiping unshed tears from her eyes.

"Okay, Raya," she said, her tone happier than before. "I'll be ready to beam back in a few moments. I'll see you soon. Lydana, out."

The screen blanked again, and Lydana turned to the admiral.

"I guess this is goodbye, Admiral. Please pass my thanks and regards on to Admiral Quinn, I owe him much. Farewell, Admiral."

"Farewell, Miss Kassai," T'Nae replied. "I must admit, it was intriguing to meet you after all I have heard. Peace and long life, Lydana."

"Live long and prosper, Admiral."

A moment later, Lydana disappeared in a haze of green light, leaving Admiral T''Nae to her thoughts.

"I hope you know what you are doing," she said, feeling the shift of air in the office as her other guest deactivate his personal cloaking device.

"I am certain, Admiral," the male said. "She is smart, resourceful, and she has a way of inspiring trust in others. She will be a valuable asset."

"I hope she proves to be as good as you claim. I disapprove of being ordered around by those of lower rank, regardless of their affiliation."

"Even so," the male told her calmly, "I thank you for your assistance. As does Starfleet Intelligence."

The male tapped his commbadge once, and he too vanished in a halo of light, and T'Nae clicked her teeth in a gesture of annoyance no-one else would ever see.


	11. Chapter 11

Loraya couldn't help but marvel at how much her lover had grown during their relationship. Despite her persistent self-doubt, the nervousness that still caused her to rub her nose ridges, Lydana had become a force to be reckoned with. She was calculating, meticulous and resourceful, and although she was a scientist first and foremost she was becoming quite adept at ground combat as well.

All in all, the Romulan captain considered herself extremely lucky to be with such an amazing individual.

Even now, after being discharged from the only career she had ever wanted, Lydana was calmly setting about making her small home a suitable accommodation for two people, as if being discharged from Starfleet was the most natural thing in the galaxy.

As the younger woman fussed over bedding and assorted other minutiae, Loraya looked around at the squat little dwelling, quietly impressed with the Federation's work. Although the more modern Bajoran buildings were built with the latest materials, they had been designed to fit in with that world's pre-existing cultural aesthetic – theirs was a culture considerably older than even the humans', and they had fought against the Cardassians to preserve that culture.

Lydana's own home was small, built primarily for one person plus visitors, and a deep, earthy red in colour. It had been only sparsely furnished, since Lydana had been accepted into Starfleet academy shortly after moving into the little house. The acceptance letter had been placed in a small frame and hung on the wall that led to her bedroom; clearly it had meant a great deal to her.

 _Perhaps she isn't that calm,_ Loraya thought idly. _Perhaps she's just coping the best way she knows how._

"Well," the woman in question mused, walking back into the room, "I've done the best I can. It's a good job we're already used to sharing..." her voice trailed off as her cheeks heated, and a shy smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. "Yes. Well...welcome to my little home, Raya. What's mine is yours."

"It's lovely, Dana," Loraya answered with a warm smile, walking over and embracing her girlfriend. "Though not half as much as it's owner."

She relished the fresh reddening of Lydana's cheeks, and doubted she would ever tire of seeing it.

"How are you feeling?"

Once again, Loraya was amazed – Lydana's career and just been shot down, and she was worried about _her_ well-being?

"I'm well enough, my love, but how are you?" she countered. "You have just lost everything you worked so hard for-"

"Not everything," the Bajoran responded, the smile she offered to Loraya weak but no less real. "I have my skills. I have my memories. I've grown as a person...and I have you."

Loraya held Lydana just a little tighter, stroking the smaller woman's back.

"Yes, love, you do...now and always."

"We should go to the market!" Lydana announced cheerfully, holding Loraya away for a moment. "The village has the nicest market, and you can get fresh vegetables, kava fruit, tuwaly pies...and I can make fresh Hasperat!"

Loraya chuckled, frowning at the suddenly-animated Lydana.

"Or we could just replicate them?" she offered with another laugh, but Lydana scoffed.

"Replicators never make anything taste right," she declared. "I'll make Hasperat tonight, you'll see-"

"Or," Loraya argued, pulling Lydana back from her sudden urge to shop, "we could get some rest after our very long journey and go to the market _tomorrow_."

Lydana actually seemed to deflate a little, her expression that of a disappointed child.

"Fine," she relented, pouting momentarily before grinning at Loraya again. "You know...despite everything, I think...I think this time will be good for us."

"As do I, my dearest. Now," Loraya added, slowly undoing Lydana's Romulan vest, "let's go and have that 'rest'."

The young Bajoran giggled, even as she tried – unsuccessfully – to hide yet another blush, and allowed herself to be dragged into the bedroom.

* * *

The following morning, Loraya held to her word. As soon as the women were awake, dressed and fed for the morning, she suggested making the trip into the village that Lydana had been so excited about the previous evening, and the younger woman almost bounced with fresh joy at being able to show her lover the world she called home.

Lydana had replicated some Bajoran clothes for them both – she herself wore a sleeveless dress of soft blue, and for Loraya she had created a sleeved top and some trousers of rich, arterial red. As they walked through the streets towards the village centre, the Romulan put an arm around her girlfriend, as if proclaiming to all of Bajor that the two of them were romantically involved. She had no reason to be ashamed – indeed, she was _proud_ to be seen with Lydana, a woman she couldn't help but respect.

"It's so nice to see you back in skirts or something similar," she stated, a playful smile on her lips.

"Well, I missed the freedom of them," Lydana answered, looking down at her dress. "I've always favoured skirts and dresses, I find trousers too restrictive."

"I can't say I have any complaints," Loraya replied, trailing her hand down Lydana's back, "I'm all for anything that allows easy access."

Lydana squeaked in shock as her girlfriend's hand whipped under the dress to pinch her backside, and the Romulan was rewarded with Lydana blushing a shade of crimson she'd never seen before, and she laughed wickedly.

"Loraya S'Vae, you are shameless!" Lydana hissed in muted indignation, unable to be truly annoyed at the woman she loved. Loraya grinned and nodded vigorously, and Lydana let out a shy giggle in response.

"Well...I can't say I'm exactly opposed to that," she answered, wrapping her arms around the taller woman and kissing her. Finally she pulled away, as if just realising they were still in public, and smiled sheepishly. Taking Loraya's hand, she continued to lead the way into the village, hoping to distract her lover before the Romulan got any other ideas.

* * *

After her experiences at the hands of the Tal Shiar, Loraya found being on Bajor immensely soothing. The people, the atmosphere, the breathtaking scenery...everywhere she looked, she found something new to marvel at, something else to take her mind further from the torment she'd endured.

She had no doubt it did wonders for Lydana, as well, who even now was not free of her own nightmares. But what she found most calming was not the beauty of the world, the people who inhabited it or their culture – it was sharing it all with Lydana. The majority of their relationship so far had been spent aboard one ship or another, and often in combat. To spend some time together, without their crews or duties to distract them, would allow them to truly get to know each other, and that was something Loraya looked forward to.

As Lydana browsed a fruit and vegetable stall, looking for the perfect ingredients for her planned meal later that night, Loraya looked around at the small village. Despite the world's entry into the Federation, they had managed to retain their cultural identity, with low buildings that looked as if they were made of some kind of clay or something similar. There was a spirituality to the people that they never seemed to have lost, as well, and as she thought of that she spotted what appeared to be a temple. She frowned, looking at the men and women outside of it, some in orange robes, others in robes that were more ornate, wearing tall headdresses that covered all but the face.

She was still looking when she felt her lover's presence beside her once again, fussing with her small shoulder satchel as she finished putting away her purchases.

"What are you looking at?" she enquired gently, following Loraya's gaze. "Oh, the temple! That was where I spent much of my time after the _Steadfast_ got back to dock," she explained, and Loraya nodded in understanding.

"I've...been thinking lately," Loraya stated, and Lydana focussed on her. "Romulans...we don't have much in the way of an established faith, and lately..." she sighed wearily. "Lately, I haven't felt any particular divine guidance or comfort. But you, my love...you seem to be doing better since you re-discovered your faith. Tell me, do your Prophets have any problems with other races?"

Lydana smiled at her, putting a comforting arm around her waist.

"No, Raya, the Prophets don't care what world you hail from. Only your heart, your spirit, your motivation. But I can't explain it that well – if you want, we can go in, maybe talk to one of the Vedeks?"

Loraya seemed to think about this, and eventually she gave Lydana a slow nod.

"I think I would like that, yes," she said quietly, and Lydana took her hand and led her towards the temple.

* * *

Inside the temple, peace and tranquility reigned. It was a quiet, almost solitary place, and as soon as they entered Loraya spoke in muted tones, as if speaking any louder would anger her lover's deities. Lydana pointed out the alcove where one of Bajor's sacred Orbs, known as the Tears of the Prophets, would sit when it visited the temple, and Loraya listened intently as the younger woman spoke about the strange artefacts that often granted visions to those who encountered them.

Suddenly, a soft voice behind them interrupted the hushed conversation, causing them to turn.

"Lydana?"

They looked around to see a small, plump woman in the robes of a Vedek, and her rounded face lit up when she recognised Lydana.

"Lydana, it _is_ you!"

"Vedek Kaym!"

The two of them embraced, and Loraya was struck by just how tiny the Vedek was – she'd thought her own girlfriend to be one of the shortest women she'd met, but Vedek Kaym was even shorter still.

"Loraya, this is Vedek Kaym – she's the one who helped me when I was here last," Lydana explained, and the Romulan stepped forwards to be introduced in turn.

"Vedek Kaym, this is Loraya S'Vae, of the Romulan Republic. She's-" her cheeks heated again, and Loraya suppressed a chuckle - "she's my girlfriend."

"Well, this is a surprise!" the small Vedek stated, looking between the two women in astonishment. "I'm certain your parents would die of shock if they knew – and I assume you have neglected to inform them of your return? No matter. Regardless of _their_ opinion, I welcome anyone who offers our Lyddie the love she deserves."

"I do love her indeed, Vedek," Loraya stated, "and I respect her a great deal too. I owe her a lot...and I would give anything for her."

"Well said, my girl!" Kaym said cheerfully, clapping her hands together with joy. "So tell me, what brings you two here?"

Lydana gestured to Loraya, who seemed to struggle with what she wanted to say.

"I...well, I was wondering...I wanted to know more of the Prophets, Vedek," she managed, and the tiny woman gave her a warm smile.

"My dear child, I would be honoured to tell you of our Prophets, but may I ask why you're interested?"

There was no aggression or unkindness in the question, just simple curiosity, and Loraya thought for a moment.

"I have seen how Lydana has changed since she returned from renewing her faith – she's grown immensely, become more capable than ever before, and I think her faith has given her a strength of spirit that she felt she lacked. I want to know more of them so that I may understand more of the culture my lover comes from, and in turn understand her better. And...I want to believe in something greater than myself. I think the Prophets are precisely that, and I want to know them to see if I am worthy of them."

Kaym smiled again, taking Loraya's hand.

"My dear girl, all are worthy in the eyes of the Prophets, and if you wish to know more of them, I will be glad to teach you. Come, let us talk."

With that, the diminutive and cheerful woman led both into the main hall of the temple, and began to tell Loraya everything she knew of Bajor's Prophets.


	12. Chapter 12

That evening, the two women were curled up together on the small couch in Lydana's living room, sharing a bottle of locally-produced Springwine and luxuriating in the feeling of each other's company. Lydana had her back against the arm of the couch, her legs spread along it, with Loraya curled up against her, her head resting on Lydana's stomach.

As they talked, the young Bajoran trailed a finger through the older woman's hair, down the edge of her ear and over the silver clasp and chain that now rested there. She smiled, making a small noise of amusement, causing Loraya to pause in her anecdote.

"What's so funny?" The Romulan craned her neck to try and look at her girlfriend, but failed miserably.

"I just can't believe you adopted the faith of my people, just to understand me better," Lydana replied, and Loraya shifted so that she could finally see her.

"I didn't do it _just_ to understand you better," she protested, "I wanted to understand you, your people and you culture better, but I also meant it when I said I wanted to believe in something greater than myself. I believe in the cause of my people, I believe in the strength of our relationship, but even I have to put my faith in a higher power sometimes. The Prophets seem more...well, more _real_ than any other faith I've encountered. I can see their influence in you, and the strength of all Bajorans, and I wanted to be part of that."

Lydana's cheeks heated as they often did, and she tried to tell herself it was the wine. She wasn't convinced.

She picked up her glass again, sipping her drink as Loraya suddenly shifted, sitting up fully and taking Lydana's hand, and the Bajoran frowned at the serious expression on her face.

"Lydana, I wanted to speak with you about something," she said quietly, and Lydana's frown deepened.

"What is it?" she managed, afraid of the answer.

"I've been thinking...given recent events, I am now the only one of us who will be out among the stars. Now, more than ever, you and I will spend long periods apart, and I don't even know when we will next be in the Alpha quadrant."

Lydana swallowed hard, wondering if this was how it all ended, and she felt the sting of tears in her eyes as she contemplated something she had, until that moment, considered almost impossible.

 _She's going to leave me,_ she thought, fighting the tears that threatened to fall.

"What...what are you saying?" she managed eventually, and Loraya reached up to stroke her scarred cheek.

"Well...the building work on _Mol'Rihan_ continues at a fantastic rate, and I was thinking...maybe, when there are some homes...you could live with me there?"

Lydana had been taking a drink to steady her nerves, and suddenly found herself choking on it. _That_ had been unexpected. Loraya, however, continued undeterred by her girlfriend's coughing fit.

"You could find work with the science teams – I know they'll be analysing, experimenting and investigating on that world for years to come, and I thought...well, you're one of the greatest scientists I know, and I think it'd be perfect for you."

Lydana, having recovered from her drink-induced choking, pulled Loraya back down and kissed her, wrapping her arms around the woman and holding her close.

"I would love to, Raya," she muttered happily into her girlfriend's hair, and Loraya curled her arms around Lydana's waist.

"You seem very relieved, my love," she said with a soft chuckle. "Did you think I was going to say something else?"

"Maybe," Lydana said, holding Loraya tighter. "It's irrelevant now though."

The two remained like that for a while longer, before finally retiring to bed for the night.

* * *

The following morning, Loraya awoke from a night of fewer nightmares and more peace, and yet she felt oddly ill at ease.

She had spent a great deal of time examining her feelings for Lydana, and she had thought that asking the Bajoran to move to her world what she wanted. After sleeping on the idea, however, she wasn't sure.

She was beginning to think she wanted something even greater.

Their relationship had been born in the midst of conflict, and it was only now that they were out of danger, away from threat, that Loraya could begin to understand the depths of the love she felt for the young, innocent former Starfleet officer. Their relationship had not been going long, but Loraya knew there was nowhere else she would rather be than at Lydana's side – or failing that, forever a part of her life.

She spent their fourth day on Bajor in relative silence, already so certain of her choice yet taking the time to understand it, and that evening over dinner she made her feelings known.

"Lydana."

The younger woman lifted her head at her name, sensing a sudden shift in mood from her lover. It wasn't negative, but it had become more serious...and yet, as she met Loraya's eyes, she saw only the same love and affection the Romulan always showed her.

"What is it? Is there something wrong?"

Loraya shook her head, smiling, and met Lydana's eyes again.

"Why are you always so sure that something bad is about to happen?" she asked, chuckling as she sipped a glass of kava juice. She'd developed a taste for the beverage since being with Lydana, just one of many things she was thankful for.

"Because around me, it usually does, in case you hadn't noticed," Lydana answered wryly, gathering the plates from their meal and taking them over to her replicator.

"You're too hard on yourself, my love," Loraya chided, "but anyway, nothing is wrong. In fact, something is considerably right for a change."

"Oh? Having a religious experience already?"

Loraya laughed, subconsciously reaching up to touch the Bajoran earring on her right ear, and shaking her head.

"No, dearest. Sit down, please."

Lydana did as she was asked, her brow knotted in confusion, and Loraya took hold of her hand.

"You no doubt know by now, I am not one for subtlety," the Romulan began, "nor am I one for skirting around a point. So, to that end, I will say my piece plainly. I don't know how this is meant to be done on Bajor, but...Kassai Lydana, I would be greatly honoured if you would be my wife."

Lydana's eyes went wide and her jaw worked silently as, once again, her cheeks heated.

"I-I-I...I don't...but why..."

Her cheeks darkened as she failed to form a coherent thought, stunned by the enormity of what she had been asked. She took a deep breath, closed her eyes and tried to marshal her thoughts into something that resembled sense, before finally meeting Loraya's eyes again.

"What I meant to say, is...I am...a bit overwhelmed by that. It's a little sudden, and I-I'm still getting used to even being in a relationship with a woman – a _Romulan,_ no less! - who actually cares for me."

"Is that a no?" Loraya asked after a moment of silence, trying to understand the answer she was given...if, indeed, she had been given one.

"It's a yes, Raya," Lydana said, beaming at the woman she loved. "It is very much a yes."

Loraya stood up and moved towards the younger woman, who bolted upright so fast her chair tipped over as she rushed to embrace her newly-announced fiancé. The kiss they shared was deep and intense, filled with the heady excitement of moving to a new stage in their relationship, and they parted only when Lydana felt she needed to breathe.

Although, now that she thought about it, air _was_ over-rated...

"Whatever would your parents say?" Loraya asked with a smile, and Lydana shrugged.

"Whatever they like, because I won't be listening," she replied, pulling Loraya closer by her hips and claiming her lips in another passionate kiss. Eventually Loraya pulled away, fixing Lydana with a sultry glare.

"Bedroom, now," she commanded, her voice a breathless growl, and Lydana's cheeks heated again as she obeyed.

"Yes, sir," she replied with mock servitude, and scurried off into the bedroom as Loraya followed.

* * *

Loraya stirred in the middle of the night, her eyes flickering open at a threat she sensed, rather than saw. She'd been a soldier and security guard for much of her life, with the finely-honed instincts that went with it, and _something_ had roused her from her sleep. They were not alone, she knew that much, and she slowly disentangled herself from Lydana's embrace and slid from the bed. She slipped her Romulan dagger from under the pillow, taking care not to disturb her fiancé, and moved silently over to the wall, pressing her back against it and wincing at the sudden chill against her bare back.

 _I should have put some clothes on,_ she thought idly, _now if I get killed I'm going to die naked. Great._

She waited until she judged the threat to be in the right position, then gave a single, shouted command to the small house's computer.

" _Lights!"_

The lights instantly came up, and Loraya heard the sound of someone grunting in discomfort against the sudden glaring brightness. She made a grab for the sound and was rewarded with her hand closing around what felt like a humanoid arm, and she pulled on it as she brought her knee up. The blow connected, a person coughed breathlessly, and Loraya finally threw the invisible figure to the floor, her knife poised for a killing blow.

"Wait!"

Eventually the person shimmered into view, as they deactivated their personal cloaking device, and Loraya scowled at the young man lying helplessly on the floor.

"Who are you?" Lydana asked, having been woken by the commotion, currently holding a Romulan disruptor pistol with one hand while attempting to cover her modesty with the other.

"You don't recognise the uniform, my love?" Loraya asked, pulling something from the man's jacket and tossing it over to Lydana.

The Bajoran kept her pistol trained on the intruder, picking up the small item with her other hand and examining it.

"Would you care to explain, sir," she asked levelly, "what Starfleet Intelligence is doing in my house in the middle of the night?"


	13. Chapter 13

"You might want to run that by me again."

Lydana stood with her back to the intruder, pulling a nightdress on over her head while Loraya – now wearing a dressing gown – sat in front of the man, the disruptor pointed at his chest.

"I said, Starfleet Command, at the advice of Starfleet Intelligence, want you to come back."

He began to turn his head towards Lydana, unused to talking to someone he wasn't facing, but Loraya snapped her fingers sharply and he focussed back on her.

"Eyes front, dear boy," she warned him. "Did Starfleet not think it bad manners to sneak into a house shared by two women in a relationship?"

The young man looked sheepish, shrugging nervously as he ran a hand through his short, fair hair.

It was bizarre how much his nervousness remind her of Lydana, and her lips quirked at the thought.

"I-I-I don't know ma'am, I'm...I'm sorry, I..."

He cleared his throat, took a deep breath and started over.

"I don't know, and I'm sorry, but all I know is that Starfleet want to talk to you again, Miss Kassai."

Lydana made a small noise of curiosity, walking around to face the young man at last.

"And exactly what did they want to talk to me about?"

The man shrugged again, looking even more embarrassed.

"I'm sorry ma'am, they-"

"Didn't tell you," Loraya finished. "Funny that. Starfleet Intelligence seems to be good at not telling its people things."

"Now now, my love, be nice," Lydana chided softly, before turning back to their uninvited guest. "Well, Starfleet can wait. We are intending to be wed, and I will not rush that."

"We know," he told her, with slightly more confidence than before. "But one thing I do know is that Starfleet is willing to help you...expedite that, if that is what it takes for you to come back."

Lydana exchanged a glance with her wife-to-be, unsure of what to do. Starfleet had been her life, her greatest chance to do what she truly wanted, and her sense of duty had thrown her into a situation that caused her to lose that. Now she was being offered a rare chance to return, but if Intelligence were involved she had concerns over what the cost would be.

"And if I return...what then?" she asked, spreading her arms in a questioning gesture. "I think I've earned too much experience to be thrown back into a tiny little cruiser in the backside of nowhere, and I'm still a little lacking in proper command experience to captain a larger ship. So, what would be my fate?"

"While I'm not at libery to discuss many details," he started, "I _can_ say that Starfleet disagrees – at least so far as the experience you think you lack. If you came back, you would be given a command more... _appropriate_ for your talents."

Lydana raised an eyebrow, and Loraya looked over at her.

"I think it may be a chance for you to get the ship you deserve, my sweet," Loraya told her. "I know that what you did was hard, and that choosing duty over your own needs was especcially difficult. But I think you have what it takes to do more, go further and become one of Starfleet's greats."

"Precisely," the intruder added, "my superiors have recognised your talent, and they want to nurture it. They want to make sure you get all the help you need in becoming the officer they are confident you can be."

Lydana looked between the two people, caught between the newly-forged deeper relationship with Loraya, and the duty she had once been forced to surrender. She was once again afraid of what lay before her, another journey into the unknown...which, at the end of the day, was what the very best science was about.

She thought it over for a moment longer, smiled to herself and fixed the male officer with a determined stare.

"Alright, fine," she said with mock exasperation, "I suppose you've twisted my arm. Help Loraya and I be wed, and I'll come back to Starfleet."

The Romulan leaped to her feet and hugged her short fiancé, and the young male smiled back at them both.

"I'd better go and report in then," he told them, "no doubt my superiors will be wondering what happened to me."

"Maybe next time, don't go sneaking around our house?" Loraya asked him, entwining her fingers with Lydana's. He blushed, giving a nervous chuckle and looking away before he was able to meet her eyes again.

"I'll, um...I'll try and bear that in mind."

He left the room and let himself out of the house, and Loraya pulled Lydana close.

"You're making the right choice here, my dearest," she said quietly, sensing the fresh worry from the Bajoran.

"I guess we'll see, my love," Lydana answered, and eventually peeled her eyes away from the where the mysterious officer had been. "Anyway...I believe we have some sleep to catch up on. I think the next few days will keep us rather busy."

* * *

The days that followed passed in a blur for the two women, as they had a hurriedly-prepared wedding in the temple, with Vedek Kaym officiating and a handful of locals as witnesses. Despite it being hastily arranged and seeming somewhat rushed, both of them were grateful just to know they were now bound forever, no matter what faced them.

However, they had barely had time to get used to the concept before they were met by a group of Starfleet officers, who escorted them to the nearby shuttle pad within the small village, where a sleek, dark-hulled shuttle was waiting for them.

"I have to ask," Loraya said, as they filed onto the small craft, "exactly what is going to happen to me? You are taking my wife back, but what am I meant to do?"

"We have arranged to rendezvous with one of your people's ships," a dark-skinned human woman informed her, her voice serious and unwelcoming. "The _Myrydex_ was on patrol in the area, and they have kindly agreed to take you back to New Romulus to continue your recovery there."

Loraya eyed the woman coldly, and Lydana glanced between the two of them, fretting over the sudden tension in the cramped cabin.

"Right," Loraya said flatly, "and I'm supposed to leave my wife in _your_ care? I don't think so."

Just as the woman opened her mouth to respond, a tall, well-built Trill male leaned forwards, his dark eyes showing more warmth and compassion than his colleague's.

"Not at all, Miss S'Vae," he reassured her. "Amelie is part of my staff, but we will not have direct authority over Lydana. Not yet, anyway," he added with a chuckle, and Loraya's eyes narrowed. She remained silent, however, until at last a warning tone was heard from the cockpit.

"We're appraoching the rendezvous, sirs," the pilot called back, and Loraya stood and walked over to the small transporter pad. Lydana joined her, embracing her tightly before placing a hand either cheek and pulling her into a deep kiss.

"Be safe, Raya," she said quietly, nuzzling into her wife's neck, "and remember, don't go back into service until you are ready."

"I promise, Dana," Loraya answered, curling her arm protectively around her wife's waist, "and I'll have that house ready before you know it. I'm sure I'll see you out there again soon enough, my love."

"Love you, Raya," Lydana told the Romulan, stepping back and fighting back her tears.

"Love you too, Dana. Prophets guide you, dearest."

At that, Loraya gave a small nod to confirm her readiness, and she faded away in a shimmer of pale blue light.

Mere moments later, the _Mogai_ -class warbird swept past the small shuttle before jumping to warp, and Lydana wondered if she'd ever see her wife again.

"Are they gone?"

The pilot double checked his sensor console, and nodded to the Trill officer who bore a Captain's rank pips.

"Aye, sir. No sign of the Romulans anywhere. They are well out of system now."

"Excellent, bring us around to the secondary heading and signal the _Callisto_. It's time we let Miss Kassai know what's in store for her."

"Oh, so I am actually allowed to be informed of what's happening?" the Bajoran replied bitterly, and the Trill captain chuckled.

"Of course, Miss Kassai. I apologise for the drama, but Starfleet did want you back. Starfleet _Intelligence_ wanted you more, however. We believe you have untapped talent, talent that is going to waste as a lowly Lieutenant."

"Whatever would Intelligence want with a scientist?" she asked dubiously, and one of the other officers scoffed.

"A scientist who can take out four Tholian ships without firing a single shot? A scientist who stood up to the Tal Shiar on two seperate occasions, introduced a virus into a foreign power's warship and who broke out of Earth Spacedock with only her ingenuity and skill? I think Intelligence would do _anything_ for an officer like that."

"Thank you, Nadez," the captain told the pale-skinned Saurian. "Although, you forget the fact that Miss Kassai _did_ fire a shot against the four Tholians – just not at them."

"Sorry sir, my mistake," the Saurian answered with a chuckle.

The captain gestured to Lydana to stand by him as he looked out of the cockpit, and she looked at him quizzically .

"I'm sorry sir, but...where are we headed? We can't make very far in this, and we are clearly not going to DS-Nine, so...where _are_ we going?"

The captain merely smiled at her, and tapped his combadge.

"Kishen to _Callisto_ , we have her on board and are en route. Identify your location."

Lydana stared dumbfounded as the patch of space before the shuttle shimmered and warped, before solidifying into the shape of a vessel unlike anything she had ever seen.

It was flat and dark, its hull comprised of angled sections designed to scatter sensor emissions. Its warp nacelles were shrouded, only a small telltale glow near the back of the ship giving away the fact that they were even present. The saucer section...wasn't even a saucer, at least not in the common understanding of one. There was a small, circular housing at the front of the ship, but this was then surrounded by a ring-like section that house an assortment of weapons batteries, torpedo tubes and other assorted mountings. But what most intrigued Lydana was the dorsal housing – only a few vessels had such a thing, and despite the angled hull plating, the Bajoran instantly recognised it for what it was.

"That...that ship has a secondary deflector," she pointed out, stunned by the dark majesty of the vessel. "It's...a _science_ vessel?"

Kishen nodded, and turned towards her with a grin.

"Indeed it is, Miss Kassai," he answered. "This is a class of ship used exclusively by Intelligence, known as a _Scryer_ -class science vessel. And one day, Lydana, we intend to give one to you."


	14. Chapter 14

The journey back to Earth Spacedock was not a boring one, for Lydana. With their intentions made at least less vague than before, the young Bajoran had been given the opportunity to explore the sleek, beautiful, advanced vessel that Kishen had promised she would one day command.

Well, not that _exact_ one, but one of its class.

She marvelled at the advanced technology she found mounted in the amazing ship. Cloaking devices, for one thing, were still surprisingly rare among Federation vessels, even with classes such as the _Sao Paolo_ escorts. There were weapon systems reverse-engineered from Borg technology, an unexpected benefit of Admiral Janeway's bold move to separate a Borg drone from the Collective. Seven of Nine had turned out to be just the first drone to be freed, and once Janeway's tactics had filtered back into the Federation other captains had managed to liberate more drones – and some had liberated entire _ships_ of drones. Those large-scale liberations had been carried out by Intelligence captains, with the aid of ships like the _Callisto_.

Some of those liberated Borg still served aboard the Intelligence vessel, and given her own experiences with the Borg Lydana was still dubious about encountering them.

The propulsion systems were something new to her as well. A modified warp core enabled the _Scryer_ -class vessels – and a great many other modern ships – to use the two faster methods of travel, the Slipstream Drive and Trans-Warp. Lydana was curious to know what it would be like to captain such an advanced and astounding vessel, and the idea that she would eventually find out filled her with an indescribable thrill.

More than that, however, was the idea of returning to Starfleet – the one place she'd felt truly at home.

Although, when she thought about it...living with Loraya in the same house, however briefly, had felt _extremely_ right.

She'd been standing in the mess hall, gazing out of the window in contemplation, when she heard footsteps behind her. She turned to see Captain Kishen, the Trill she'd barely spoken to earlier, and offered him a gentle smile.

"There you are, Miss Kassai," he said warmly. "I wanted to let you know we're not far from Earth now, just another thirty minutes or so. We'll need to brief you on what is going to be happening - it's going to be a busy time for you, I'm afraid."

"I still don't understand what you want with me," she sighed. "I'm not anyone special, Captain. I'm just a young Bajoran who wants to serve the Federation and do some science. I got my last command reduced to wreckage, lost half my crew and things didn't go a great deal better in the _DaVinci_. I don't think I'm fit to be back in Starfleet, let alone on board a ship like _this_."

Kishen chuckled soundlessly, folding his arms as he joined Lydana at the window.

"You are a talented officer, Lydana," he told her, "but you are also very humble. Those are rare traits. However, they are not the only qualities we have recruited you for. Your sense of duty, your resourcefulness and your desire to do what is right are also key factors. You are a far greater officer than you realise – and that's without any officer training. That is something we intend to change, the first thing that we will instigate after you've been briefed."

"I'm...I'm sorry sir, did you say I'm going to go through _officer training?!_ "

Kishen nodded.

"Correct. If you are going to work for us, we need to start preparing you for a proper command role. That means we need to fill the gaps in your training."

The enormity of what lay ahead began to weigh on her again, and Lydana fell silent. She stared out of the window, looking at the star formations and planets that seemed so familiar now, and wondered exactly what would happen to her in the future...and, more importantly, what would happen to Loraya, now her wife but several thousand light-years away. She only hoped they would be able to see each other again, before-

 _Best not to think like that,_ she chided herself mentally. _We will meet again. I will see to it myself, if I have to._

"Well...in that case, sir, I can only hope I live up to your expectations."

Kishen chuckled again, and patted her back.

"Of that, Miss Kassai, I have no doubt. Best you get ready now, we'll be at ESD shortly, and you'll want to look decent for your briefing."

She looked down at her light Bajoran dress, and sighed sadly.

"Hm, I suppose I should dress more appropriately," she said softly. "Pity. Loraya did love it when I wore this."

With that, she finally walked off to the guest quarters she'd been given, trying to mentally prepare herself for what would come next.

* * *

Despite having met Admiral Quinn before, Lydana was still nervous at the prospect of seeing him again. She had replicated herself one of the newer Jupiter uniforms, with the blue trim of her chosen specialisation but without any rank pips. She would hold no rank until she was told that she could, but she still felt appropriately dressed for meeting an admiral.

Nervous, and just a little scared, but at least she looked decent.

She marched into the familiar office alongside Captain Kishen, who sauntered in as if the office belonged to him, and she gave a parade-perfect salute as she stopped in front of the broad desk.

The white-haired Trill smiled at her lopsidedly, and she sensed an increase in tension within the room.

"Kassai Lydana, reporting as instructed, sir."

"At ease, Miss Kassai," Quinn sighed, easing himself out of his chair. "It's a pleasure to see you back in Starfleet uniform. May I offer you a drink?"

"A Kava juice would be welcome, sir," she answered, and he nodded slowly. He strode over to his replicator, ordered Lydana's juice and a Vulcan spiced tea for himself, then set both drinks on the desk before reclaiming his seat. He gestured for her to sit as well, and she complied silently.

"As glad as I am that you are rejoining Starfleet, I am somewhat _less_ glad that you are being taken out of my jurisdiction."

Lydana frowned and sipped her juice, unsure of his meaning.

"Sir?"

Quinn leaned forward, lacing his fingers together as he rested his hands on the desk.

"I had my own plans for your career. I know you can go far, and I had hoped to guide you into the roles I believed suited you best. Unfortunately, your actions have earned you the attention of... _these_ people," he said, gesturing disgustedly at Kishen, "and your career is out of my control. I could have kept you relatively safe, helped you see Centurion S'Vae on occasion, but now..."

His voice trailed off, and he leaned back in his chair as he drank his tea. Lydana could tell that the situation bothered him, but as far as _she_ was concerned it was no-one's place to manipulate her career.

"I appreciate the thought sir, but my duty is to Starfleet as a whole," she argued gently. "If Intelligence believe I have skills that can aid their tasks, who am I to argue?"

"The first in line, if our chat on the _Callisto_ was any indication," Kishen chuckled, and Quinn silenced him with a glare.

"All I'm saying is, I appreciate the concern but I don't think it's necessary," Lydana continued. "I'm here to do my duty, in whatever capacity Starfleet wants me. If that means intelligence, then I'll go with intelligence."

Quinn sighed again, this time in defeat, certain he wouldn't win the argument.

"You've become quite mature lately, Lydana," he told her, his respect plain in his voice. "It is a loss to the main body of Starfleet, but a significant gain for Intelligence, for you to join them. And, if they can give you the career you deserve...I won't hold you back."

Lydana blushed at the praise, and attempted to hide it by sipping her drink again.

"Now, with that out of the way," he continued, "there are a few formalities that will need to be dealt with. The first of which..."

He pulled a small box from his desk drawer and slid it over to Lydana, who picked it up gently. Setting her glass down, she opened the box to reveal a pair of uncommon insignia – mostly-hollow rectangles, except for the two diagonal bars in the middle of them. They were uncommon because there had been almost no cause for them in several years – the last time Lydana had heard of their use had been on board Voyager, when the Maquis crew had been inducted into the larger ship.

"Provisional Lieutenant's bars?" she asked, as if she needed confirmation. Quinn nodded, and the Bajoran wondered why the admiral was smiling so broadly.

"Indeed. Provisional, because I don't think Intelligence will be keeping you there for long. From what I hear, you'll be undertaking the Officer's training that you never got to have, and then-"

"Please, Admiral, save some surprises for _us_ to share," Kishen interrupted, and Lydana turned her attention towards him instead. "Yes, we have our own plans, and yes, the first part of said plans involves you returning as a provisional Lieutenant. That is because after you complete the Officer's Course, we'll be putting you straight to work – as a fully-approved, officially recgnised Captain."

Lydana choked on her drink, staring at Kishen in shock.

"I'm sorry, did I hear that right?" she wheezed, and Kishen nodded.

"Indeed you did. Speaking of which, has there been any luck finding a ship for her?"

"Not yet, I'm waiting on some advice in regards to that," Quinn answered, and Lydana's eyes narrowed as she noticed the ghost of a smile cross the admiral's face.

"What are you planning?" she asked with mock suspicion, and Quinn held up his hands in a gesture of innocence.

"Planning? We would do nothing of the kind, Miss Kassai! We merely want to find you a suitable command," he told her, although the wink he gave her suggested there was definitely something being planned.

"In any case, Miss Kassai, let me be the first to welcome you back to Starfleet," Quinn told her sincerely. "We are far better with officers like you among us, and I look forward to seeing what you can do with something newer than the _DaVinci."_

"Thank you sir," Lydana said, trying to hide another blush. "It's good to be back."

"Well, if we're all done here," Kishen stated, in a tone that left little choice in the matter, "we should get you down to the academy to start your training. Just like old times, hm?"

"Something like that, sir," Lydana answered, rising from her seat. "Thank you for the drink, admiral, and for the praise. I'll do you proud, sir."

"I don't doubt it, Lieutenant – oh, and I understand congratulations are in order?"

Lydana looked at him with a questioning frown, and he pointed to the bracelet she wore around her right wrist – the Bajoran betrothal bracelet that Loraya had insisted on buying for her before they married.

"Indeed, sir. It was a condition of my return, that the Intel officers on Bajor help Loraya and I marry. Now I have so much more to fight for."

"That you do. Farewell, Lydana, and good luck. I'll see you after your training, no doubt."

Lydana saluted again, before turning sharply on her heel and marching out of the office, her head held high.

* * *

"A word, captain."

Kishen paused as he was about follow Lydana, and turned to face his fellow Trill.

"Yes, Admiral."

"Lydana is a skilled and capable officer, on that point we are agreed," Quinn told him, his voice low and dangerous. "But she is also young. She could have a bright future in Starfleet, and she could go on to be one of the greats. If you throw her life away needlessly, I swear to you that I will personally make this life and every successive one _extremely_ unpleasant for you. Am I understood?"

There was a tense pause as Kishen processed the subtle threat, before he finally gave a single nod.

"Absolutely, Admiral," he said quietly. "Will that be all?"

Quinn dismissed him with a gesture of his hand, not bothering to meet the younger officer's eyes as he did, and Kishen hurried to catch up with his charge.

* * *

After that point, Lydana was whisked away to the Academy, and swiftly enrolled onto an officer's training course which had, quite unexpectedly, found itself with an opening. Despite the shock of current events, she threw herself into the training with the same vigour and youthful energy she brought to everything she did, as well as drawing on the experience she'd already gained commanding two starships – antiques they may have been, but they were still commands, regardless of how she'd gained them.

However, that wasn't to say she found it easy. The officer's training was designed to be rigorous, to prepare candidates for the arduous task of commanding a ship and all of its crew. On several occasions, Lydana felt like she might not make it through – and each time, she thought of Loraya, the woman for whom she did everything, and she swore not to let the Romulan down. She prayed nightly for the strength to go on, for Loraya's safety and for the self-assurance to know what she was doing.

Somehow, only that last one eluded her.

Roughly halfway through her training, she received a surprise communication from her wife, who spoke of her pride in Lydana's progress. Not only that, but she had at last been able to accept her promotion to Sub-commander, and had been granted the _Mogai_ -class warbird _Sh'kyreh_ as her command.

" _From the sounds of things, when you finish there you'll outrank_ me _,"_ Loraya laughed, and Lydana chuckled with her. It was good to hear Loraya laugh again.

"I'm not sure how I feel about that," she told the Romulan, "but I suppose it could have its uses." She gave Loraya a wicked grin, and her wife gasped in feigned horror.

" _Kassai Lydana, such scandalous implications!"_ she cried, before chuckling again. _"Anyway my love, I should go. My ship is still in the dock, and you know what the dock workers are like."_

"If you don't keep an eye on them twenty-six hours a day, they'll never get anything done, I know," she agreed. "I'll leave you to go and knock some heads together then, my dearest. Be safe, Raya. Prophets guide you."

" _And you, Dana. Love you always."_

"Love you too, Raya. Starfleet Academy, out."

The screen returned to the Academy insignia, and Lydana took a deep breath. As she exhaled, she felt as if her most recent doubts left her, and she returned to her quarters to resume her studies.

She would not let Loraya down.

And she didn't. After almost three months of studying, holodeck simulations, snide remarks from fellow candidates about her love life (and an incident involving an 'accidental' punch to the throat during sparring) and almost breaking down at least three times, she finally made it through. Even the infamous Kobayashi Maru test didn't faze her overly much, because she had already faced a no-win situation on the _Steadfast_. Granted, on that occasion she'd been saved by Loraya, but that was beside the point.

The point was, she had prevailed, and she graduated from the officer's training course feeling changed – as if everything she'd learned had made sense of everything she'd endured before.

She supposed that had been the reason for it.

After the training, after the graduation and the ceremony granting her the rank of Captain, she was at long last released to meet Admiral Quinn, and hopefully discover her new command.

* * *

She stood in the viewing gallery, dressed in the long, slate-grey coat favoured by many Intelligence operatives, coupled with her trademark skirt and long boots. Lydana watched in silence as she saw other ships drifting past, wondering which of them would be hers. A _Nova_ -class slid into view, and she eyed it with casual interest. It was sleek, almost dangerous-looking for a science vessel, considered by many the replacement for the _Oberth_ -class, albeit a lot newer. An _Olympus_ -class dropped out of warp nearby, and she scowled at it. Although well-equipped for scientific tasks, they were ugly, and Lydana hated the idea of commanding a ship from inside a giant metal orb.

"Any idea which one might be yours?"

Lydana turned at the sudden voice nearby, and saluted as soon as she saw Admiral Quinn.

"At ease, Captain," he told her, smiling as he used her new rank, and he moved to gaze out at the view with her.

"Not at the moment, sir," she answered, "I've just been enjoying the view. Although, I am curious which one might be mine."

"It'll be here shortly, I assure you," he told her. "I'm sorry we couldn't get your wife here in time – apparently she'd departed for an important mission in the Nimbus system just before we sent the invitation."

"It's okay sir," Lydana replied, although the Admiral could sense her disappointment. "I know she has a lot of work ahead of her – just as I do."

"Damn straight you do, Lyddie," answered another voice, and Lydana whipped around to her left to see another pair of familiar figures walking down the corridor towards her.

"By the Prophets... _Lise!_ "

She rushed forwards and embraced her friend, despite her new rank, and after a few moments Elisa broke the embrace and held her at arms length, looking her over approvingly.

"Damn, Lyddie, you look good," she told the smaller woman. "Confident. Fired up. And I hear you even got married?"

Lydana blushed, unsure why she still had that reaction to such comments.

"I see good news travels fast these days," she said with a grin. "And what about you? You're a full commander now?" she tapped the fresh rank pips on Elisa's collar, and the redhead nodded.

"Yup, although what they see in me I don't know. Guess I learned from the best." She gave Lydana's shoulder a playful punch, until the figure next to her cleared her throat.

"Oh, and of course, you know my first officer."

"Of course I do," Lydana replied, smiling at the raven-haired Vulcan. "Always a joy to see you again, T'Vrell."

"And you, sir," T'Vrell told her in her usual stiff tone. "I regret that we could not join your crew, but we had apparently been picked for other duties."

"I got my own escort now," Elisa beamed. "An _Akira_ -class. We have just enough time to watch you get given your new ship."

Elisa chuckled, and her expression suggested she knew something she wasn't telling. Lydana recalled a similar expression on the Admiral's face before she left for her training, and her eyes narrowed as she looked back at Quinn.

"Okay, what are you all not telling me?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Captain," Quinn answered, his lips twitching with the urge to grin. At that moment his commbadge chirruped, and he tapped it in response.

"Quinn, go."

" _Admiral, the ship you were waiting for has arrived. She's waiting at docking bay three."_

"Ah. My thanks, Kadira. We will be there presently."

He tapped the badge again to close the channel, and gestured for the assembled officers to follow him.

"The _Banshee_ is not quite as new as some ships, but she's still a fair bit newer than the _DaVinci_ ," Quinn explained. "And before you ask, yes, she's called the _Banshee._ Not all science vessels are named after scientists, after all – just look at the _Bellerophon_."

"So? What ship am I to get sir?"

The anticipation was beginning to get to her now, and she was eager to get on board her new ship and get back to the work of a Starfleet officer. It was where she belonged, it was where she _needed_ to be, where-

She stopped in her tracks as they passed through a doorway that led to the meeting lounge for docking bay three, and Lyana gazed at the ship beyond. It couldn't be hers. It _couldn't._

"I admit, I may have been speaking to your friend for suggestions," Quinn told her, unable to hide his grin any longer. "I was assured by her that this would be an ideal ship for you."

'Ideal' didn't even begin to cover it. It wasn't just any ship, it was a ship from a class made famous by one of the first of its kind.

Its shape was like no other ship before it, with a long, tapered 'saucer' section and an almost stubby rear end. Some had called it ugly, but she had always thought it to be unique and beautiful, and she had wanted to command one since she first read the autobiography of her idol.

She had been given command of her very own _Intrepid_ -class ship, a class made famous by the trials of _Voyager_ and her crew in the Delta quadrant.

"Prophets..." she breathed, as she walked slowly over to the view window. "Is this...is she mine?"

"Her and all one hundred and forty crew," Quinn answered. "I have every confidence you'll do this ship as much justice as Janeway did."

Lydana swallowed hard, unable to take her eyes from the majestic vessel. Her very own _Intrepid..._

"Thank you sir," she said, turning to the Admiral at last. "Thank you very much. I'll make you proud, I promise."

"You already have, Lydana. Now, I believe Commander Flores is needed aboard her own ship, but we can take you on board to meet your crew."

Lydana hugged Elisa again, even daring to give T'Vrell a squeeze, despite the Vulcan's clear discomfort with the gesture. She bid them both farewell, thanking Elisa for whatever part she played in securing the ship for her, and joined Quinn at the door to the boarding tube.

Excitement and apprehension mixed in her gut, as she prayed that she could live up to the legacy of such a vessel, no matter which ship had actually created it.


	15. Chapter 15

"All I'm saying is, I don't see why we're out here deploying sensor beacons."

Lydana suppressed the urge to smile, a task made more difficult by knowing who made the comment.

"Did somebody die and make you an Admiral without informing me, Ryan?" she asked, her serious tone belying the mischievous spark in her eyes.

"Um, no sir," the young helmsman replied, not looking up from his console.

"Then I strongly suggest you stop complaining and do as you are told," Lydana told him, allowing herself a small chuckle. "There have been rumours that the Klingons have been using a new type of cloaking device, and they've been quite active in this area of late. If Starfleet Command wants us deploying sensor beacons, then that's what we will do."

"But-"

" _Lieutenant._ " While Lydana was glad of the officer's promotion, he still needed to learn when to shut up. "I applaud your tenacity, but we have our orders. Until they change, we carry them out. Understood?"

Ryan Cobham, whose skill on the _DaVinci_ had earned him his Lieutenant's pip and a new posting, nodded dejectedly.

"Aye, ma'am. Changing course to next drop co-ordinates."

Lydana sat back in her captain's chair, staying silent for a moment as she took in the view before her. It was a view that she had dreamt of for years, since she had first read Janeway's memoirs – the bridge of an _Intrepid-_ class vessel, the ship she had most wanted to command. While other captains craved the majesty of the _Sovereign_ -class, with its modern shields, warp drive and weapons, she had only ever wanted the quiet beauty of an _Intrepid_.

And now, after all her trials, she had earned one.

"Still getting used to it, sir?"

Lydana looked around at the voice, and smiled at her first officer, Commander Olan Rassi. The man was almost painfully thin, his gaunt cheeks and angular nose making him look like a corpse that hadn't laid down yet, but his dark eyes were always calm and attentive, never missing a detail. He was also a Betazoid, and as such he would be a valuable asset to the entire ship.

"Are my emotions that obvious?" the Bajoran chuckled, and Olan shook his head.

"Not at all, but your face is," he answered with a chuckle of his own, before settling in to his own chair at her right. "How are you finding it so far?"

"I still feel like I'm dreaming," she told him quietly, taking another look around the bridge. "I've read Admiral Janeway's memoirs since I was a girl, and this was always my dream – to follow in the footsteps of Starfleet's most notable female captain, to command the same class of ship, to aspire to be...the very best I can. And now..."

She gestured vaguely at the bridge before them, and sighed contentedly.

"And now, you've accomplished one of your goals," Olan finished, and she nodded. "Well, with that done, what's next for the future legend, Captain Kassai?"

Lydana let out a soft laugh, and met her First Officer's eyes.

"Well, I work for Intelligence now," she stated, plucking at the lapels of her jacket as if he needed to be shown the fact. "I guess...I guess I'm going to carry on on the course they've set for me, and see where it leads."

"Well, I look forward to joining you on that path, Captain," Olan told her, and she gave him a nod of appreciation.

"Thank you, Olan. It's nice to be made welcome." She checked the chrono on the console between the two chairs, and tutted softly. "I should go over the department reports for the evening before I turn in. You have the bridge, Commander. I'll be in my ready room if you need me."

"Aye sir, I have the bridge," Olan confirmed, moving into the captain's chair as Lydana vacated it. "Sleep well, Captain."

"Until we get something more interesting, that won't be difficult," Lydana said, laughing again as she made her way to her ready room.

* * *

Lydana scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands, finishing the last of her spiced tea in a single swallow. She grimaced, realising the last report had taken so long to read that the beverage had gone cold. She rose wearily to replicate a fresh one, cursing the 'honour' of her new rank as she did.

Well...if she was honest with herself, that wasn't _quite_ true, but she had only been in command of the _Banshee_ for thirty-one hours and already she was questioning herself. She knew the officer training had filled in a lot of blanks for her, given her more confidence to command, but she was still worried.

But then, as she'd told Elisa several months previously, she was always worried.

She ordered her fresh beverage from the replicator, moved back to her chair and sighed. She just needed the report from Engineering, and then she could-

The door chime interrupted her thoughts, and she allowed herself a weak smile.

"Enter."

The door hissed aside to admit a female officer in the yellow-trimmed uniform of an Engineering officer, the pips at her collar marking her as a lieutenant-commander. She ran a hand over her bare scalp, the expression on her blue features apologetic.

"Sorry I'm late with the report, Captain," she told Lydana, "I got dragged into a lecture about my eating habits by the doctor again."

Lydana grinned at the woman and extended her hand for the report.

"If it was anyone else, Zarva, I would have them up on charges," she responded. "Drink?"

"No thanks, ma'am, but I appreciate the offer."

Lydana rolled her eyes, fixing the Bolian with an exasperated glare.

"Not you as well? Will _anyone_ I was at the academy with go back to calling me 'Lyddie'?"

"Elisa, no doubt," Zarva chuckled, and Lydana nodded. The Bajoran set the padd aside and gestured for her friend to sit, and at last Zarva complied.

They'd met again briefly during Lydana's tour of the ship with Admiral Quinn, but both of them had been busy and there hadn't been the chance to catch up. That was why she'd been so eager to get the Engineering report – is was their chance to do just that.

"How have you been?" she asked, concern marking her delicate features. "I meant to visit, but it's been a rough couple of months."

"Don't apologise, I understand," Zarva assured her. "Besides, I kind of needed the time to get over what happened. I mean, we'd been back from saving Vega less than three days and then... _that_ happened." Zarva shook her head sadly. "You're too damn right it's been rough. How have _you_ coped?"

Lydana wasn't sure how to answer that, mainly because she actually hadn't. She'd spent so much time getting back to her work, and later building her relationship with Loraya, that she hadn't faced up to the events of the _Steadfast_.

"Badly," she admitted. "I've gone from one crazy occurrence to another, and I've had little time to think about it. Oh, I talked about it with the Vedeks when I went home, after we'd docked, but after that I just...I threw myself back into work. It's worked...mostly. But I still sometimes have nightmares, although Loraya has helped ease those."

"Loraya? The Centurion who saved us?"

Lydana nodded as she sipped her tea, then frowned in thought.

"Hang on...you didn't hear?"

"Hear what?"

"I honestly thought Lise would have told you..."

"I haven't heard anything, I was either in therapy or getting back to work. Told me _what?_ "

"I, um..." Lydana blushed, and decided to ask the doctor if she could have that reaction removed. "Loraya and I got married."

Zarva's eyes went wide with surprise, and she stared open mouthed at the young Bajoran...which only made her blush more.

"You are _joking_ ," she stated slowly, a broad grin spreading across her face. "I'm so happy for you! Is she treating you right?"

Lydana nodded bashfully.

"Very much so. She's...she's everything I could have ever asked for."

"She's a _Romulan_ ," Zarva pointed out. "That's got to raise a few eyebrows!"

Lydana snorted, scanning through the report as she did.

"No doubt," she said idly, "unfortunately for those eyebrows, I don't care."

"Wow."

Lydana looked at her friend, and the Bolian smiled at her.

"Becoming a full-fledged captain did some big things for your confidence, it seems. Although I'm still stunned you didn't style your hair like Janeway used to as well."

"You're just jealous," Lydana joked, making a show of running a hand through her hair.

"Well, one of the benefits of not having hair," Zarva replied, her voice full of playful threat, "is that there's nothing for engineers to set fire to out of spite."

Both women laughed, and Lydana set the PADD on her desk at last.

"Well, it seems like you're running an efficient team down there, Zarva. Keep it up. But I have to say...it is really good to see you again."

"You too, sir," Zarva answered with a smile. "Speaking of my team, I'd better get back to them," she added, rising from her seat.

"Of course, you're dismissed Zarva. I should probably be turning in soon anyway. See you around, no doubt."

"See you around, Captain," Zarva finished with a crooked smile, before turning smartly on her heel and walking out of the room.

Lydana spent a few more minutes tidying the desk – _her_ desk, she acknowledged with a small smile – before she finally retreated from the small room and made her way towards her own quarters.

* * *

She had been in the middle of a reasonably pleasant dream when the comm woke her. She jerked awake, expecting to hit her head on the low ceiling, then remembered that her quarters on an _Intrepid_ -class ship rivalled many civilian apartments.

"Kassai here, wha's going on?" she mumbled at the comm, hoping she was in some way coherent.

" _We're receiving a message from the Romulan Republic, sir,"_ replied Ensign Lirvan, her Ktarian communications officer. _"I wasn't sure how important it was, but it's directed for you personally, so Commander Rassi told me to route it to your quarters. I'm...sorry if I woke you, ma'am."_

"No, it's fine," Lydana told him, not daring to raise the lights. "I'll take it here. Kassai, out."

She pulled on a dressing gown, holding it closed to appear decent while she dealt with whoever was bothering her.

She input the command at her desk terminal, blinking at the glare of the screen as it lit with a familiar green-hued background.

" _Oh love, I'm sorry,"_ Loraya told her, her smile congealing into an apologetic expression. _"I completely forgot about the time difference. I didn't mean to wake you."_

"'S okay," she told her wife, "is something wrong?"

" _Other than the fact I don't have a beautiful Bajoran over here with me? Not a thing."_ Loraya smiled, giving vent to a full giggle as Lydana blushed at the compliment, as she often did.

Lydana let go of her dressing gown, using that hand to try and straighten out her hair a little. There may not be any point preserving modesty in front of someone who had seen her naked repeatedly, but she could at least make herself presentable.

"I've missed you, Raya."

" _I've missed you too, Dana,"_ the Romulan replied softly. _"How is it, being a full Captain now? What ship did you get?"_

"It's going to be a lot more work," Lydana said stoically, "but I've had the training, I've had some experience and I'm more prepared than ever. I just keep thinking of the things you taught me, and I feel certain I can do this. Well...as certain as I ever am. And the ship..."

She paused, fighting to hide her grin and failing.

"They gave me a ship called the _Banshee._ She's an _Intrepid_ -class."

" _So they recognise your worth_ and _give you the ship you always wanted? Nicely done, my love, very nicely done."_

"Thank you," Lydana replied. "It'd feel better with you here to share it with though."

" _I know, my sweet, but we'll be meeting again soon I'm sure."_ Loraya sighed heavily, before stretching wearily. _"Anyway, I should probably go. I just wanted to check in, let you know I was still thinking of you."_

"Are you just going to bed?"

" _Getting up. We have a lot of work to do on Nimbus Three, and I didn't know when I would be able to speak to you again."_

"Well...be careful out there, my love. I've heard it's not so peaceful these days."

" _That's the truth. Anyway, I'll be in touch again soon darling. I love you always."_

"Love you too, Raya. _Banshee_ , out."

The screen darkened again, and Lydana let out a content sigh. She'd been worried about her wife, but now she felt able to rest a lot easier. She shed her dressing gown and returned to her bed, and fell asleep again almost immediately.

* * *

"Captain on deck!"

The sudden call almost startled Lydana as she exited the turbolift, and she nodded to the Ops officer who had vacated the Captain's chair.

That would certainly take some getting used to.

She walked down to take her position on the bridge, taking in the situation updates on her armchair console.

"Rest well, Captain?"

She looked up and smiled at Rassi, a steaming beverage in one hand as he took his own seat beside her.

"Very well, thank you," she answered, "despite being woken by a call from the Republic."

Olan smiled at her over his mug, his dark eyes almost sparkling with mischief.

"Really? Something tells me you weren't _that_ bothered by it. Does someone have a special interest in some dashing young Romulan Commander?"

"Subcommander," Lydana corrected. "My wife recently took over a _Mogai_ -class warbird."

Olan choked as he was sipping his drink, and looked at Lydana with a baffled expression.

"Wife?" he croaked, and Lydana rolled her eyes.

"Oh don't sound so shocked, Olan, your people have weddings _naked_. Two women getting married really shouldn't be a big thing for you."

"I know, but...still, it's a little unusual, isn't it?"

Lydana stared at him for a moment, her blank expression hiding the slowly building annoyance.

"No, it's not," she said flatly. "It is the twenty-fifth century, and there are worlds in the Federation with far stranger customs. Even Earth accepted same-gender relationships a long time ago. The strangest thing about my relationship is that I married a Romulan, and these days even that isn't particularly unusual. Kindly think about what you're saying, next time?"

Olan nodded, suitably chastised.

"Of course, sir. Forgive me. I-"

"Captain, incoming transmission for you," a voice behind her stated, and she directed her attention ahead of her.

"Onscreen."

"I...I can't, sir. It won't let me."

Lydana's brow furrowed, and she turned to look at her comms officer.

"Why not?"

"It requires a level ten authorisation," he answered, bemused by what his console was telling him, and rightly so.

Communications from Starfleet Command were rarely marked _Captain's eyes only_ , which was exactly what a Levcl Ten authorisation was.

"I'll take it in my ready room," Lydana said, rising from her seat. "Commander, you have the bridge."

* * *

She sat down at her desk, rubbing her nose ridges in trepidation.

"Computer, receive level-ten message."

" _Captain's authorisation required,"_ the computer demanded in its monotone voice, and Lydana reeled off her command authorisation.

"Kassai-Lima-Two-Zero."

The viewer on the desk lit with the face of a man she didn't recognise, with cropped fair hair and a round face, his deep-set eyes devoid of any significant emotion. He wore the uniform of Starfleet Intelligence, and his rank insignia marked him as one of her new superiors.

" _Greetings, Captain,"_ the human told her, his voice cold and hard. _"We haven't met yet, so allow me to introduce myself. I am Vice-Admiral DeVare, and I will be handling your assignments for the time being. I've looked over your record, and I think this might be a suitable mission for you."_

"I look forward to something more pro-active than deploying beacons, sir, if I may say so," Lydana told him, and the ghost of a smile pulled at the corners of his mouth.

" _I can imagine. Tell me, what do you know of a Klingon by the name of Ambassador B'Vat?"_

"I've run into him once or twice, sir," Lydana explained. "He's believed to be one of the main voices in the High Council calling to continue their war with us."

" _That's the man. Well, we've received some new intelligence lately, from an Orion defector. She's told us of a secret base he's been working from, deep in the Briar Patch, where apparently he's had captured scientists building weapons. It's a dangerous mission, but Admiral Quinn assures me you would be up to the task."_

"It's not for me to pick and choose my assignments, sir," Lydana told him sincerely. "If you think this is where I need to go, then it's where I'll go."

" _Good. While I'm sure I don't need to remind you, this will be your first Intelligence assignment, so your actions and reports will be closely examined. Just remember, the main goal here is to deny B'Vat access to those weapons, by whatever means necessary. We're counting on you."_

"Aye sir," the young Bajoran affirmed, sitting just a little straighter than before. "We'll get it done. I'll report back when we've accomplished the mission. Kassai, out."

As the screen blanked, Lydana rose and strode out of the door to the bridge again.

"Commander, I need to see you and the senior officers in the briefing room, half an hour," she commanded, and Olan nodded curtly. "Mister Cobham, finish deploying the beacons then set course for the Briar Patch, warp six."

"We have new orders then, Captain?" Olan asked, looking up at Lydana.

"That we do. See you in half an hour," she told him, before heading for the briefing room. She was eager to be getting back to active duty, but at the same time she was worried about losing more people. No matter what experience she already had, she doubted she would ever get used to that.

She took a deep sigh, taking her seat at the head of the briefing table while she familiarised herself with the information available on the Briar Patch.


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: Well, this story is just going mental! I love writing this so much...**

 **Many thanks go to my friend and fellow STO fanfic comrade, Kretolus, whose own story Command Collapse is awesome and should be read immediately. Even more thanks to him for his constant support and reviewing of every chapter of this I've written so far.**

 **I don't own STO, etc.**

* * *

Half an hour later, Commander Rassi and the senior officers filed into the briefing room, causing Lydana to look up from her research.

"Thank you all for coming so promptly," she said, setting the PADD aside as the other officers found seats. "We've finally received our first official orders since the _Banshee_ went operational, and as would be expected for a veteran crew it is no light task."

She deliberately left out the part about their orders coming from Starfleet Intelligence – most Starfleet personnel hated the idea of their ship being 'requisitioned' by Intelligence, because they didn't like the idea of their captain having little say in their ship's deployment. Also, due to Intelligence's occasionally-shadowy nature, they weren't exactly the most trusted group, either.

"We've been instructed to head to the Briar Patch, where it is suspected that a Klingon leader by the name of B'Vat is building weapons at a secret base."

"B'Vat?" Lydana looked at the person who spoke, a male Saurian Lieutenant called Nazan. "Wasn't he behind the attack on a diplomatic mission a few months ago?"

"Correct," Lydana said with a nod. She had been on the mission to free the diplomatic team that were taken hostage, which was where she had first encountered the 'Ambassador'. "We've received reports that he has hidden himself in a hidden base somewhere in the Briar Patch, and that he's working on some very unpleasant weapons. His plan is to keep the conflict between us and the Klingon Empire raging for as long as possible, a plan which does not sit well with many others in the High Council, or a great many other Klingon warriors for that matter. We've been tasked with entering the Patch, seeking out the base and seizing any plans we can find in their computers. After that, we are to destroy the base and cripple the Klingon operations in that area. Any questions?"

"Yes, sir," Nazan said, raising his hand. Lydana noted the red trim to his uniform, marking him as a Tactical officer, and she guessed at the nature of his questions. "Have we any idea of their forces in the area?"

 _I guessed correctly,_ she told herself, before shaking her head slowly.

"Not at present. Apparently we are the first ship they've sent to this area, so their precise force composition is unknown at the moment."

"The Briar Patch," Zarva said thoughtfully, staring into nothing momentarily before looking at her captain. "Not a good place to get stuck. Metreon gas pockets are going to play havoc with the engines, and it's extremely volatile. Anyone else remember the Riker Maneouvre?"

Lydana nodded, since the improvised attack had been part of the curriculum at the Academy. That had been just one of the things she had decided to review.

"I'm sure many of us do, Zarva," Lydana said seriously. "And I understand you reservations regarding the engines, but I've been doing some calculations and I think we can mitigate some of the effects of the gas." She brought up the relevant information on her PADD and slid it over to her chief engineer. "If we modify the Bussard collectors to filter out a percentage of the Metreon particles, we can use the excess energy to go to full impulse without risking damage to the ship. That should give us an advantage over the Klingons if we have to chase them down."

Zarva looked over her former classmate's notes, and nodded approvingly.

"As soon as we're done here, Captain, I'll get on those adjustments," she said, and Lydana looked to Olan.

"Commander, you know this crew a bit better than I do at the moment – we'll need a ground team, including a demolitions expert and at least two officers trained in boarding actions and close-quarters combat."

"No worries sir, I can think of several who would suit the task," Olan replied, leaning forward to key his own PADD live and make notes. "Won't you be needing a computer specialist as well?"

"No," Lydana said firmly, "because I'm going with them."

"Captain, I have to-"

"Don't, Commander," she ordered, raising a hand to stall any complaints. "I know about protocol. I also know that I refuse to send my crew on a mission I'm not willing to undertake myself. Not only that, but as far as I know I'm one of the few people on board with recent experience of dealing with foreign computer systems, so I will be going, and that's the end of it."

Olan's expression soured as he realised he wasn't going to win the argument, and he made some further notes on the device in front of him.

"Now Nazan, I need to you to review our tactical information for the Klingons, make sure you're familiar with their tactics and capabilities. I want as few surprises as possible when we're in there, it's going to be hard enough dealing with the gas pockets without them adding to the stress."

"I'll go over it with him, ma'am," added Ensign Treleya, who worked the Ops station on the bridge. "I might be able to find some way of counteracting their cloak."

Treleya came from a race that, even now, were still a mystery to the Federation. The Zan-Eth had uniquely-formed brains that allowed them, if chose, to feel only one emotion at a time – a trait that had its perks and drawbacks, like any other. It meant that they could remain calm and collected during conflict situations, especially against more disconcerting enemies such as the Borg or Undine, but it could cause significant mental trauma if the ability was over-used. Coupled with their brains being almost as unique as human finger-prints, it was truly a double-edged sword.

"I won't expect any miracles, Treleya, but if you can find us an edge I'll take it," Lydana told her with a smile. "Any further questions?"

The rest of the officers remained silent this time, and Lydana gave a single nod.

"Excellent. I shouldn't need to tell you what would be at stake if we fail here, people, so let's make sure we don't. Dismissed."

The assembled officers rose and filed back out, while Lydana double-checked some information on a second PADD.

"I'm still protesting, sir," Olan stated, once the others had left. Lydana almost jumped in her seat, before fixing the commander with a glare.

"Olan, I've made my decision and I'm not changing it," she told him, and he shook his head.

"I understand that much, sir, but I at least want my objection noted in the logs."

"Noted. Anything else, Commander?"

Olan sighed wearily, and wished kneaded his temples in frustration.

"No, sir, nothing else."

"Good, then let's get to it, shall we?" she asked, looking at him with an expression that would accept no response other than 'yes'.

Olan gave a weak chuckle, shaking his head again as he looked at her.

"Command seems to suit you, sir," he told her. "You have a fire that I've only seen in a handful of other officers, and they were all far more tactically minded. It's unusual to see this much fight in a scientist."

"Janeway was a scientist, and look what she accomplished," Lydana reminded him, paraphrasing the speech Admiral Quinn had given her almost a year previously.

"Point taken, sir," Olan conceded, before heading for the door.

* * *

"Well, if there was any doubt the Klingons were here, there isn't any more."

Lydana stared at the main viewscreen, watching the swirling, orange nebular gases and the assorted Klingon vessels that passed through them. "Nazan, any reading on composition?"

"It's difficult to say from here, sir," the Saurian answered, "but I'm reading several Raptor escorts and Birds-of-Prey, various classes."

"Treleya, any luck with sensor modifications?"

"No, ma'am, sorry," the alien officer replied apologetically. "However, it doesn't look like they're doing much to hide themselves, and the nebula is going to play havoc with their cloak as much as it will our engines."

"As much as it _would have_ our engines," Lydana corrected with a feral grin. "Bridge to engineering."

" _Engineering, Zarva here."_

"How are those adjustments I gave you coming along?"

" _Ready and waiting, sir,"_ the Bolian answered cheerfully. _"Got to say Captain, you know your stuff."_

Lydana allowed herself a small chuckle and a swell of pride.

"Thanks, I've been working on my brilliance for a while now," she laughed. "Keep an eye on the engines down there, and let's make sure my new ship keeps going for a while, shall we?"

" _You can say that again, ma'am. Engineering, out."_

Lydana took a deep reath, steeling herself for the conflict she knew she was about to bring upon her vessel.

"Okay...raise shields, ready weapons," she said cautiously. "Ryan, take us in, full impulse."

"Aye aye sir, full ahead."

The sleek vessel began to move deeper into the Briar Patch, rapidly gathering speed as if it shared its Captain's determination.

* * *

It didn't take long for the _Banshee_ to be spotted, and defending themselves while trying to avoid the volatile gas pockets was proving difficult.

A fresh volley of disruptor shots erupted against the _Bashee_ 's shields as it banked hard, Lydana making sure they used their superior speed to bring all of their phaser banks to bear. A salvo of orange beams lanced out from the slender ship, one or two going wide but several more scoring successful hits. The Bird-of-Prey that had been chasing them broke off, disappearing back into the nebula to attempt a new approach.

"She's gone, sir," Nazan reported. "She took some severe damage to their weapon systems, and their engines seemed unstable as well."

"And how are we doing?" Lydana asked, although she feared the answer.

"Could have been a lot worse, sir. Minor damage to decks four and five, heavier damage across decks six, eight, nine and twelve. Hull breach on eight, structural integrity and emergency forcefields holding."

Lydana fought the urge to bury her head in her hands. She was a captain now, she needed to show strength...but it was always hard.

"Casualties?"

"Twelve wounded, one critically. No deaths."

At that news, she did emit an audible sigh of relief. No fresh demons to haunt her at night – _this_ time.

"Sir, something coming up on sensors!"

"Be specific, Miss Treleya," Lydana called back sternly, and Treleya paused.

"It's a stationary construct...I'm reading shields, disruptors...it's a Klingon disruptor turret, dead ahead!"

"No wonder that ship broke off," Olan muttered at Lydana's side, but the Bajoran ignored him and hurried to Treleya's side.

"Can we establish a communication link with it?" Lydana asked, and Treleya looked at her quizzically.

"Ma'am...it's an automated turret, I don't-"

"Don't answer me like I'm fresh from the Academy, Ensign," Lydana cautioned, "just answer me."

"Oh, uh...yes ma'am, we could, but-"

"Do it, and let me know when you've got through. Nazan, I want you to modify our targeting sensors to work with Klingon sesnors, and be quick about it. Ryan, I'll need your best evasive manoeuvres shortly."

"At your command, sir," Ryan called back confidently, and Lydana smiled. Nice to know there was _one_ person who wasn't questioning her...

"I've got good news and bad news, ma'am," Treleya called out, and Lydana moved abck to her side quickly. "Good news, I've opened...communications, I guess, with the turret. Bad news, we have three Raptors and two Birds of Prey coming in on attack vectors."

"Now, Ryan!" Lydana called, moving into Treleya's position for a moment as the ship was thrown into a twisting dive. "Got it!" she called triumphantly, and hurried back to her chair. "Nazan, are you ready?"

"I think so, ma'am, but I don't quite get-"

"Treleya, transfer the turret controls to Nazan's station, please. Nazan, target the lead raptor with our phasers and open fire."

A fresh array of orange beams erupted from the aft phaser arrays, scoring multiple hits on the leading Klingon ship. The Birds of Prey swept in faster, opening up with all of their disruptors, and the ship heaved as the shots tore into the shields.

"Nazan, status!" Lydana snapped, wincing as a console behind her blew out.

"I've got it!" the Saurian called cheerfully, and Lydana grinned.

"Target the Klingon ships and fire."

* * *

The virus she'd sent to the turret had worked perfectly, as the Klingon turret suddenly underwent a change of allegiance and began firing at the Klingon vessels that were closing on the _Banshee_.

As the dark green energy bursts impacted against shields and hulls, the Klingon vessels altered their course to try and protect themselves from it while they fought to bring it back under their control.

As she watched the display, Lydana chuckled unpleasantly.

"Nazan...engage the turret's self-destruct, please."

He did as he was ordered, and almost immediately the turret's power source went critical, swiftly turning the turret into asmall conflagration...which set off the nearby pocket of Metreon gas.

Two of the Raptors and a Bird of Prey were caught by the ensuing explosion, their shields flickering in the instant before they were torn apart. The second Bird of Prey suffered severe damage, limping away from the explosion but unable to fight, but the last Raptor was fast enough – or fortunate enough – to escape the worst of it, and it renewed its assault against the intruder.

* * *

A warning tone sounded from the Ops console, and Treleya looked up nervously.

"More Klingons, off the starboard bow!"

"How many?"

"Two more, both Raptors!"

"We can't keep this up, Captain," Olan said to Lydana, and she nodded without taking her eyes from the viewscreen.

"Agreed, so what would you suggest?"

"Let them rendezvous with each other...then give them a gravity well."

"I like your thinking, Commander," she said, giving him an approving smile, before turning back to Ryan.

"Mister Cobham, how quickly can you bring those Klingons into our forward arc?"

"As quick as you need, sir," he told her, and she was inclined to believe him.

"Good man, get ready."

"Sir, I'm detecting what appears to be a facility of some sort up ahead, in the hollow of that large asteroid," Treleya stated, putting it on the viewscreen to illustrate her point. At that moment the ship shuddered under more weapon impacts, and Lydana swore. Further ahead of them was a massive asteroid, with a large hole bored through the centre of it. It looked large enough to accommodate four starships or more, as well as the squat, blocky building that sat on the 'floor' of the hole. They just had to survive to get there.

The ship rocked violently again, and several small detonations shook the bridge as an EPS conduit in the far wall ruptured, wounding the crewman working nearby."Report!" Lydana ordered, coughing as she inhaled smoke from the burning cables.

"That last volley from the Klingons ignited another pocket of gas," Treleya answered. "We got too close to it, and it did a number on us as we went through. Severe...severe damage on decks eight through twelve, and ten has lost life support. Starboard shields are down to twenty percent, and the starboard nacelle has failed."

"Evacuate those decks and reroute the life support from them to the structural integrity field and shields," Lydana ordered, fighting to maintain her composure. She couldn't even begin to estimate how many lives had just been lost because of a slight navigation mishap.

"Sir, those Klingons are right behind us," Nazan informed her. "If you're going to do anything, now is the time."

Lydana coughed again, choking down the urge to vomit from the smoke, and cleared her throat before addressing Ryan.

"Whatever you can do, Mister Cobham...get them in our deflector arc. Standby the deflector, Miss Treleya."

The ship heaved as Ryan's hands darted over his panel, pulling the ship into a steep climb. The engines began to whine, then the entire vessle began groaning in protest as Ryan turned the climb into a loop, putting the _Banshee_ on its back but finally facing the three remaining Raptors.

"Now!"

The purple-pink beam shot out from the secondary deflector in the 'nose' of the ship, creating the familiar bruised gravity well that Lydana had taught to her Romulan colleagues. The three Raptors slowed, and then began sliding backwards as they were caught by the area of high gravity, keeping them locked in place, and Lydana wasted no time.

"Open fire, all forward phasers, and a full spread from the torpedoes," she ordered calmly, and Nazan complied.

The phaser beams ripped into the stricken Klingon ships, shortly before the volley of photon torpedoes slammed into their hulls. The damage done was catastrophic, and it was compounded by one Raptor's warp core overloading, the resulting explosion tearing the other two ships apart.

"No more ships this side of the asteroid, sir," Treleya announced, her relief evident in her voice. "We have a clear run to the facility."

"Thank the Prophets," Lydana sighed. "Ryan, put us back on course for that facility. Commander, co-ordinate with the repair teams to get the critical systems back up, and Treleya I want you to fortify those starboard shields. Don't want to go losing those in the middle of the next fight."

A chorus of assents came back to her, and she once again fought the urge to be sick – only this time, it was for once again surviving a fight. At least this time she was more prepared for it – and the _Banshee_ held up to far more punishment than the _DaVinci_ ever would have.

"What will you be doing, Captain?" Olan asked, and Lydana stood up, brushing herself off.

"I'm going to assemble my away team, and make sure we're ready to beam down to that base," she told him, surprised at how calm she sounded. "You have the bridge, Commander. Don't break my ship while I'm gone."

With that, she headed for the turbolift, silently wishing that Loraya was with her. She knew what awaited her the next time she slept.


	17. Chapter 17

Five figures materialised in a cargo room deep inside the facility, as close as they could get to their target. Lydana immediately pulled out her tricorder, while her team brought their weapons up to cover her.

"Looks like the base has been locked down," she stated calmly, and tapped her commbadge. "Kassai to _Banshee_."

" _Rassi here."_

"The base is locked down, we're going to need some additional spatial charges to breach the doors," she informed her second-in-command, folding her tricorder again and putting it away.

" _Roger that, Captain, you'll have them in a moment. Meanwhile we'll be trying to repair at least some of the damage caused in getting here."_

"Good man," Lydana told him sincerely. "We'll be in touch. Kassai, out."

True to the commander's word, a small crate of extra spatial charges was transported into the room with them, and the rest of her team made sure to load up on as many as they could carry.

"Alright people, we know our target," she told her team, "just remember that reports say that there are still scientists on-site. Check your targets, I don't want Command coming down on me because someone got spooked and shot a civilian, understand?"

A chorus of "aye, ma'am"s came back to her, and she nodded sharply to them. "Any questions?"

"I must enquire, Captain," stated Anari, formerly known as One of Two, and Lydana turned to face her while trying not to gawk at the implant that curled around her left eye. "Are we to set our weapons to stun?"

Lydana thought about it, then shook her head.

"No. The galaxy is different to Picard's day – we know the Klingons here will want us dead, and I don't want to take chances. Shoot to kill, just _check your targets._ "

The rest of the team nodded, and Lydana checked once more to see if there were any further questions. Since there weren't, she ordered everyone to take up their positions and get ready to move.

"Nazan, take point once Anari breaches the door. Anari, follow him through, Drom, Fisher, you're behind me. Move out!"

As Anari set up the first breaching charge, Lydana wondered just when she became a competent ground team commander. She wondered if Elisa would have been proud of her, or if she would be saddened that her sweet, innocent best friend had become a fighter.

It wasn't Lydana's fault. All she wanted was to explore the galaxy and be a scientist, but she also wanted to preserve everything the Federation stood for. At present, that sadly meant having to fight, and so she had learned to do just that.

The door ahead of them detonated, shaking Lydana from her reverie, and as Nazan began to lead the group through the door she raised her own phaser rifle, following behind Anari as her other two team members brought up the rear.

* * *

For a short while, they had a slight advantage – the tight corridors meant that the Klingons couldn't get too close to their group, without setting off the small line of Chroniton mines that Anari would occasionally deploy. She would then follow up by deploying a small shield emitter, which allowed the team to take cover and allow their personal shields to recharge. Between the tactical expertise of Fisher and Nazan, and Anari's phaser minigun, they made excellent progress through the facility.

Until they reached the first broad room, and they found themselves outnumbered.

Anari's cover shield could only face in one direction and offered a limited amount of protection – in the middle of a room, with Klingons stationed in the corners as well as in the centre, it became almost useless.

Drom was savaged by an attack Targ before anyone could call out a warning, and Lydana would never forget the image of him being shredded by the vicious beast even as she helped shoot it down. The entire room then descended into a deadly light show, as emerald pulses and searing orange beams tore between the two sides. Lydana vaguely acknowledged the sound of Anari's minigun firing on full auto, and no doubt a veritable swathe of Klingons were cut down by her calm, unrelenting fire.

But none of them could look everywhere at once, and before anyone knew it a single large, brawny male Klingon had leaped over one of the consoles they were using for cover, slamming his feet into Fisher and Lydana at once. The middle-aged tactical officer was ent sprawling, but the Klingon ignored him, instead stand over Lydana with his _bat'leth_ raised for a killing stroke. Clearly he'd seen her issuing orders, realised she was in command, and figured that without her the rest of the team would be easier to pick off.

She was not about to let that happen.

She brought her rifle up, levelling it at his chest from her place on the floor, but the massive warrior knocked it aside with his weapon before preparing the killing blow once more. Lydana rolled to the side just in time, the cruel point of the weapon hitting the deck as she brought herself up to a kneeling position, turning to face him as she did.

"Attacking an unarmed opponent?" she asked breathlessly, "not very honourable of you, is it?"

The warrior growled at her, pulling a small _kut'luch_ dagger from his belt and tossing it to her. She narrowly missed the weapon, and it slipped through her hands to clatter onto the floor in front of her, but by that point her opponent was already advancing quickly. Keeping low, she grabbed the blade and waited for the Klingon to become committed to his attack.

She seized her chance has he raised the _bat'leth_ for an overhead cleave, rolling forwards past him and pivoting on the balls of her feet, slashing at the back of his leg as she did. She was rewarded with the warrior staggering slightly, but she soon regretted not being faster – he spun around with a speed that belied his size, lashing out with the _bat'leth_ one-handed, and the sharp tip of the weapon carved a narrow wound across the top of her chest. She fell back, dropping the small blade as she clutched at the wound, but an instant later she felt his large hand close around her throat and lift her from the floor.

"Not so smart now, are you, little child?" the warrior laughed, tightening his grip and choking off any chance she had of replying. It was clear he wasn't going to let go, that he intended to choke her, and as her vision began to swim she waved her hands around at waist height, desperately seeking something she was certain had to be there.

The rest of her team were busy with their own battles, and Lydana could hear the thunder of her own pulse in her ears as her vision began to darken at the edges.

 _Not like this,_ she prayed, still desperately reaching for something...which she eventually found, and with as much strength as she could muster she pulled the Klingon's disruptor pistol from his holster. He had a split second to realise what she had done, before she fired the weapon point blank into his chest.

The first shot staggered him, causing him to loosen his grip. The second punched deeper into his chest, swiftly followed by the third and fourth which erupted from his back, and he finally let go of her as he toppled to the floor.

Lydana collapsed unceremoniously to the deck beside her would-be killer, raggedly gulping in lungfuls of air in between fits of coughing.

"Captain!"

Nazan rushed over to her, trying to tend to her as best he could, but she promptly waved him away, still trying to suck in enough air to speak. Instead she caught a hold of his hand and used it to pull herself upright, stumbling briefly before catching a nearby console for support.

"Captain, are you able to continue?" Anari asked, in her typically blunt fashion, and Lydana coughed again as she nodded.

"I'll be fine," she croaked, pressing a hand to her chest and wincing. She examined her palm momentarily, unnerved by the sight of so much of her own blood. She hadn't thought the wound was so deep, but even as she stood there she could feel the sticky moisture seeping down her chest, and she reached for her portable medkit...and swore when she found it missing.

"Shit," she breathed, and pushed herself away from the console. "Report, people."

"We found two scientists a moment ago, just before Nazan found you," Fisher answered. "They've already been beamed aboard the _Banshee_ , but they said that a lot of weapons have already been moved off-site."

Lydana nodded, scooping up the disruptor pistol and _bat'leth_ her foe had dropped.

"Then we better get moving," she said weakly. "We need to make sure we get the others before they move as well."

"Captain, you appear-"

"Save it, Anari," Lydana interrupted, "I'm medically trained, I'm quite aware of how I must look. I'm also painfully aware of how I _feel_ and exactly what damage has potentially been done, so let's just move, okay?"

The former Borg simply nodded, wise enough not to press the issue, instead waving Nazan forwards again as she readied her minigun.

Fisher made sure Lydana was able to proceed before gesturing for her to follow behind Anari once again, mainly so that he could keep an eye on her.

The group continued on, bloodied and sore but undeterred, determined to ensure the facility was shut down permanently.

* * *

From there on it became more difficult. The Klingons were all too aware of them now,and the deeper they progressed into the base the more entrenched their enemy became.

Lydana was no hand-to-hand combat expert, but with her new weapons she was forced to learn fast. The fact that she carried the _bat'leth_ , she noticed, earned her grudging respect from the other Klingons – they knew she had killed one of their number in one-on-one combat, and given her size they reasoned that was no small feat.

But it also made her more of a target, as they wanted to see how she had bettered a hardened Klingon warrior.

While Anari took up a position behind a computer console at the far end of their destination room, the others fell back towards the same position, firing as they went. More attack Targs were gunned down, several Klingon warriors fell to the disciplined fire from Nazan and Fisher – as well as the heavy fire from Anari's minigun – but even then two more broke the lines, running straight for Lydana. One of them took several phaser pulses to the chest, but the other survived to close with the young Bajoran. She was unused to the weapon, unsure of herself up close, but despite its size the _bat'leth_ was surprisingly light and well-balanced.

This time, the clash was mercifully brief. Lydana managed to block the first attack, driving a knee into the warrior's side the moment their blades met. He recovered quickly, managing to carve a gash across her left thigh before she drove the blade into his throat. She wrenched the blade back out as the warrior collapsed to the deck, bright red blood pulsing from his neck, and Lydana fought to stop her hands from trembling. She wasn't used to the rigours of physical combat, although at least she was no stranger to pain either, but she still felt inadequate when it came to such brutal clashes.

There were too many unpleasant images running through her mind, too much fresh fuel for her nightmares. Using the _bat'leth_ as a walking aid, she made her way up to the raised platform where the rest of her team were gathered.

"Captain, you're wounded," Nazan told her, clearly concerned as she moved to the computer console.

"I am, thank you for noticing," she replied idly, focussing on pulling as much information from the computer as possible. She transmitted everything she could find to the _Banshee_ , before ordering the others to deploy charges on the few weapons left in the room.

Her commbadge chirped at her as she waited for her team to complete their tasks, and tapped it impatiently.

"Kassai, go."

" _Captain, we're detecting another Klingon vessel fleeing the vicinity,"_ Olan explained. _"We believe they might be trying to escape with some more of the weapons from the base."_

"Understood Olan. We're nearly done here, so be ready to beam us back. How are the repairs?"

" _We've still got full impulse, but warp might be a problem. We'll need to hit them while they're still in the Briar Patch to keep our advantage."_

"Roger that," she said, pain colouring her voice. Once again she pressed a hand to her chest, concerned that it hadn't stopped bleeding yet. "Raise shields and charge weapons, be ready to move as soon as we're on board."

" _Aye sir._ Banshee _out."_

While no-one was looking, she leaned against the console for support, wishing she had just a scrap of material to make a tourniquet for her leg. No doubt Loraya would be furious when she saw the fresh scars, but Lydana would deal with that when it came. For now she just had to-

"We're done here sir," Fisher told her, causing her to quickly stand up straight again. "We're ready to go as soon as you are."

The other members of the team gathered with her on the platform, and she tapped her commbadge once more.

"Kassai to _Banshee_ , four to beam up."

A split second later, the dull metal walls of the Klingon base vanished, replaced with the bright, clean lines of her ship's transporter room.

"Get to your stations, people," Lyana ordered, limping off the transport pad, "we have to make sure they...they don't..."

Her eyelids fluttered for a moment as her vision swam suddenly, before she eventually passed out and collapsed to the deck.


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Well, this happened. One chapter became the length of two because of the scene at the end of this one. I had to get it written. Anyway, I only have on real reader - maybe two - and he/they don't care.**

 **Many thanks to Kretolus, my long-standing reader, fan, and frequent sounding board.**

* * *

Her eyes slowly flickered open, her vision swimming before returning to focus. She found herself looking up at the calm expression of her Chief Medical Officer, a Denorian by the name of Aldnam Yuris, and she grunted in pain as she attempted to get up.

"Don't bother, Captain,"Yuris told her, pressing a hand against her shoulder and pushing her back down t the bed. "You lost a fair amount of blood and your body went into shock. Really, I would have thought with your medical training, you would know not to exert yourself right now."

"True, but I'm also the captain," she answered, pushing herself up again, "and as such I've got duties to tend to. I need to write my report, oversee-"

"I can have you confined to sickbay for medical reasons, Captain," Yuris told her sternly, "or I could get Commander Rassi to come down here and relieve you of duty for the time being."

"I somehow think none of us would survive the experience, Doc," Olan said with a laugh as he entered the Sickbay. "Our captain is very protective of her ship."

"If only she was so protective of _herself_ , I wouldn't need to make threats," Yuris added, before he retired to his office with a an annoyed huff.

"He's right, you know," Olan told his Captain as she swung her legs off the bed, and she paused as she caught sight of the fresh scar across her thigh.

 _Loraya really is going to kill me,_ she thought to herself, before lowering her feet to the floor.

"Can you help me find my boots please, Commander?" she asked politely, ignoring his comment, and he rolled his eyes before pointing to a locker nearby.

"In there. Are you sure you're ready to return to your duties?"

"I'm old enough to make my own decisions now, Olan," she argued, and he nodded.

"I don't doubt it, but you also need to be aware of how your actions might appear to your crew."

"Seriously, Olan, I'm _fine,_ " she stressed, offering him a smile as she sat down to pull her boots back on. "It was a couple of wounds, shock and a little blood loss. I've suffered worse."

Olan raised an eyebrow doubtfully.

"Really?"

"Well..no, not exactly, but honestly, I _am_ fine. I just want to return to my duties."

"Okay, then how about we compromise?" It was Lydana's turn to raise an eyebrow, more in question than doubt. "You still need to write your report, so how about you write it in your quarters, where you can get some more rest, then return when you're finished."

Lydana sighed in mild frustration, turning to face the commander as she stood.

"Alright, fine, we'll do it your way," she said at last, gesturing towards the door. "Before I go, I suppose you had better fill me in on what I missed."

* * *

Lydana scrubbed at her eyes as she sent her report to Starfleet Intelligence, then glanced at the chrono. She scoffed with disgust as she realised why she felt so tired – it was late into the ship's night and she was deliberately hiding from sleep.

She had intended to return to her position on the bridge, but that was before she had spent at least two hours writing and re-writing her report. She couldn't shake the death of Ensign Drom from her mind, and she wondered if she could have done more to save him.

Even so, Olan had been right to object – Starfleet regulations stated that captains should not undertake away missions, and Lydana knew it. However, she felt it had been a necessary move, to show the crew that she would not ask them to do what she wouldn't do herself. Whether that was right or not was no longer her decision.

She yawned, stretching as she rose from behind her desk, and paused to look out of the window of her quarters. The bruised orange gas of the Briar Patch was far behind them now, as Olan had taken the ship out of the region once the away team were on board. The last escaping Klingon vessel had been destroyed, denying B'Vat access to the weapons he had been building, although the reports from the scientists they rescued suggested he had already escaped with some long before the _Banshee_ arrived in the region.

But, as with many other things, that was no longer her concern.

She kicked her boots off once more, shrugged off her jacket and dropped her skirt, before crawling into bed to face the nightmares she knew would be waiting.

* * *

Lydana awoke feeling drained, her nightmares denying her such luxuries as a decent night's sleep. She washed, dressed and ensured she was as presentable as she could be, pulling her hair back into a simple ponytail before finally making her way back to the bridge.

"Welcome back, sir," Ryan called from his usual position at the helm, and Lydana nodded a weary greeting to him. She received a routine report from the Ops station, checking it over and handing it back to the crewman who had brought it to her, and finally worked her way down to her chair.

"Feeling better, Captain?" Olan asked her, and she rubbed at her eyes again.

"A little," she answered, declining to elaborate. "How are we?"

"The repairs that we can do from here are almost complete, but the starboard nacelle is going to need a dockyard to fix."

She nodded absently, barely registering his words, her thoughts turning back to the sight of Drom being dragged down by a pack of Targs. She'd never seen anything so brutal before, and she wished never to see anything like it again, but she just wished she had the ability to push it to the back of her mind and move on. She had been told in the past that she was too sensitive, and sometimes she realised just how true that was.

A hand on her shoulder caused her to jump in her seat slightly, and she turned to see Olan looking at her, his expression concerned.

"Are you alright, Lydana?" he asked, using her given name for the first time. "Your emotions are becoming...a little difficult to bear."

She shook her head and inhaled, forcing herself to push the unpleasant thoughts away.

"Sorry, Olan, still a little weary I guess," she lied, and if he didn't believe her he didn't push the subject. She opened her mouth to say something more, but was cut off by an insistent tone from the Comms station.

"Report," she ordered softly, and Lirvan tapped a quick command on her console.

"We're being hailed, sir," she explained. "It's a Federation signal, coming from this area, but...we're not detecting any other ships."

Lydana frowned, wondering if it was another of Intelligence's ships, and told Lirvan to answer the hail.

This time, the main viewscreen lit with the familiar face of Vice-Admiral DeVare, who smiled in greeting at Lydana as she stood up.

"Welcome back to civilised space, Captain," he told her warmly, and she nodded.

"Thank you, sir. I'm...a little surprised to hear from you so soon."

"Please, Captain," DeVare said with a smug grin, "we work for Intelligence. We get our information a lot quicker than those at HQ. I believe you're returning to Earth for some repairs?"

"Correct, sir. Most of them have been taken care of, but there's a few issues that will need a dock to fix."

"Right, the starboard nacelle and the holes in the deck," DeVare answered with a chuckle. "You have a habit of breaking things fresh out of dock, don't you?" He chuckled again, and Lydana wasn't sure if it was a jibe or a good-natured jest. "In any case," he continued, "I have another task for you, once the dockyard sets you loose again."

"I'm always ready, sir," she answered eagerly, hoping he believed her.

"Excellent! An interesting one, this – you are one of several captains who have been put forward to take part in a series of combat exercises with the Romulan Republic. Our vessels will actually be leaving from Earth Spacedock, so it's quite fortunate you're already on your way, and it also means we have reason to pressure the yard dogs into actually doing their jobs."

Her eyes widened and she had to stop herself from cheering out loud. Working with the Republic meant there was a very good chance that she would get to see Loraya, and that was never a bad thing.

"That _does_ sound interesting, sir," she answered, unable to keep the excitement at bay completely, "although...I have to ask, why me?"

DeVare looked at a PADD on his desk before answering, mulling over the information as he spoke.

"Well...it says here that you were selected due to 'an instinctive capacity for ingenuity and a unique perspective on Romulan culture.' I wonder what that could mean?"

The spark in his eyes suggested he already knew what that meant, and fought to keep the blush from rising to her cheeks.

"No idea, sir, but...why are _we_ attending? As in, Intelligence?"

DeVare sobered, turning to direct his full attention toward Lydana.

"Our alliance with the Romulans is still fresh. There is a lot we still don't understand about them, their culture or their technology. These exercises were suggested by the Romulans, but we agreed because we need to find out more about them. If we are going to assist them, we need to understand what their ships are capable of, because no doubt we will come into conflict with the Tal Shiar and the Star Empire. Since they use the same ships, we understand one side..."

"We understand the capabilities of the other. I think I follow, sir."

DeVare smiled at her, a broad, sincere grin full of bright teeth.

"Quinn told me you were a sharp one," he told her, "I'm glad to see he wasn't exaggerating. We'll send you the full details shortly, but there'll be plenty of time to go over things while your ship is in dock. I'll speak to you then, Captain."

"Very well, sir. Speak to you then. Kassai, out."

"Well, that _should_ be interesting," Olan said suggestively as she returned to her seat. "There might be a certain other Romulan there-"

"Commander, I'm instituting a new policy," she told him, turning to the small console between them and not giving him eye contact. "It's called the 'shut up or I'll push you out the airlock' policy."

"She'll do it too, sir," Ryan chipped in. "On the _DaVinci_ we had a Tellerite who-"

"Ryan?"

"Yes ma'am?"

"Shut up."

The other bridge officers present attempted to hide their amusement, with varying degrees of success, but Lydana simply smiled. A happy crew was an effective one, she believed, and she hoped to keep this crew as happy as she could for a long time.

* * *

"So, who else is on this list sir?"

Lydana walked alongside Vice-Admiral DeVare, who was currently walking briskly towards the shuttle platform. Lydana had been surprised by how muscular the man was, his past as a tactical officer evident in his bearing and confident manner, and she felt positively tiny beside him.

It had been another week before they had managed to get back to Earth, and the repairs to the decks and warp nacelle were no easy matter, but there was still plenty of time to spare before joining the Romulans. Lydana had briefly been introduced to DeVare, before he had to rush off and tend to other matters. With the repairs almost complete and her crew returning to their ship, she had sort out her commanding officer to find out what else she needed to know.

"Let's see..." He pulled a small PADD from his back pocket and scrolled through it, sipping a hot, sickly beverage as they walked. It was something Lydana had been forced to try during her time at the Academy, something called 'Hot Chocolate', and she honestly couldn't understand why humans liked it so much.

"Okay, well, there's your friend Commander Flores and the _Tigris,_ Captain Sho'than and the _Prometheus-_ class escort _Olympus_ , Captain...you're Bajoran, how do you pronounce that?"

Lydana looked at the name on the small screen, and her eyes widened in surprise.

" _Captain_ Myrryn? When did she get promoted?"

"About two weeks ago, while you were finishing your training," he explained. "She's got a _Nebula_ -class, the _Euphrates._ The force is going to be led by...ah, Captain Tenahbi, with the-"

"The _Queen Mary_ ," Lydana finished bitterly. "I might have known I couldn't avoid her for long."

"Oh yes, you two have some sort of history, don't you?" His tone was light, almost jovial, but Lydana didn't see the matter the same way.

"Something like that, although I wish I knew why she hated me so much."

"Because as far as she's concerned, you're still a traitor - part of the reason she was sent on this little exercise. The other part is, she needs to learn to play nicely with others."

"That's an understatement," Lydana muttered. "Any idea who is on the opposing side?"

"Yes, but I'm not telling you," DeVare replied with his smug grin, "I'm not going to give away who we're facing just so you can find out whether or not your wife will be there." He let out a short laugh, patting her shoulder firmly. "She is though. I'm not _that_ harsh."

That had been the best news Lydana had heard all week, and she had to stop herself from dancing down the corridors with glee.

"So, here's what's going to happen," he said, more seriously this time. "When we arrive at New Romulus, there'll be a small party, a sort of celebration of our two nations coming together in mutual respect and whatnot, with some shoreleave for those who want it – no doubt you will – and then we'll deploy for the actual exercises."

"How long are we expected to be with them?"

"Three to five days, maybe longer, depending on how things go diplomatically. No doubt your relationship will be useful in that regard."

"Sir, my wife is not a diplomatic bargaining chip, and neither is our marriage," she told him firmly. "Our relationship is private, between her and me, not between us and the rest of the quadrant!"

DeVare held his hands up in surrender, trying to placate the small Bajoran.

"Calm down, Captain, it's hardly 'the rest of the quadrant'," he assured her. "I may not have been clear. I'm simply saying that the _fact_ that you have married a Romulan, with you being from the Federation, it's as if we already have a foundation for the alliance. I simply want us to...talk up the point of your relationship."

"Fine," Lydana grumbled, "but if any diplomats start prying, I'm going to punch them."

DeVare laughed heartily as the two of them reached the shuttle platform, stepping into the small craft that had been waiting to take them to the dry dock.

"There's one other thing to tell you," DeVare cautioned Lydna, his tone serious again. "As you may have noticed, it is not beyond the means of Intelligence to fast-track the careers of officers we believe have the skill to succeed. We wanted you involved in this exercise as a way of assessing your abilities, so that we can determine just how best to use your particular talents."

"You wanted me in it?" Lydana asked suspiciously. "I thought you said I was 'put forward'?"

"Rule number one about Starfleet Intelligence," DeVare commented without looking at her, "we always lie."

"Well _that's_ reassuring," Lydana muttered, and DeVare looked at her then.

"It should be. We lie about everything to protect the people we care about, or the people who don't need to know, but more specifically we lie to protect the Federation as a whole. If word got out that you had taken on a bunch of Klingons, for example, how do you think that would go with the rest of the interstellar communities, hmm? Not too well, I'm sure, especially for the Romulans who have forged a tentative alliance with the Klingon Empire, as well."

Lydana remained silent, processing the information, and she had to admit it did make sense. She would never forgive herself if any information ever got out about her actions, which then led to Loraya being hurt...or worse.

"Did I say something wrong?" DeVare asked, obviously concerned that he had offended her, and she shook her head.

"No, sir. I was just thinking about the truth of your words, understanding what you mean."

"I'm glad you do. You're a good officer, Lydana, anyone can see that. I'd hate for your career to be held back simply because you couldn't stand the many falsehoods we are forced to maintain."

Lydana sat up straighter, meeting DeVare's eyes with a determined gaze.

"I'm in this for the sake of the Federation, sir, and all the worlds that are part of it. I can manage a few lies if those we serve sleep soundly."

DeVare grinned at her, turning away to guide the shuttle towards her ship.

"I knew we were right to pick you." He chuckled to himself as he brought the small vessel within range of the _Banshee_ , and and Lydana nodded.

"Looks like this is my stop, sir," she said with a soft laugh of her own. "I'll see you on _Mol'Rihan_."

"Where?"

"Oh, sorry – it's what they call New Romulus."

"Ah. Your wife teach you that one?"

Lydana smiled bashfully, not bothering to hide her blush for a change.

"She taught me a lot of things, sir. The majority of them aren't fit for polite discussion."

With that, she tapped her commbadge and signalled her ship, before she was transported out of the shuttle in a blue haze.

* * *

"Captain on deck!"

The sharp announcement from one of her more...exuberant officers caught Lydana off-guard, startling her as she entered the bridge, and she patted the man's chest affectionately.

"Prophets, man, relax will you? Preferably before you hurt yourself." She walked over to the Ops station, where Treleya was back on duty, and greeted the officer with a smile.

"How are we doing with the repairs?"

"Pretty good ma'am, the yard boys are just closing up a few panels now and should be giving us the all-clear within the hour."

"Excellent, send that update to Admiral DeVare's ship, and let's start getting people ready for this."

She took a stance in the centre of her bridge, just forward of the Captain's chair, her back straight and feet planted firmly on the deck, giving off an air of confidence she still didn't feel.

"All hands, this is the captain," she announced, knowing that the computer would be transmitting her voice to the rest of the ship, "we will shortly be departing for New Romulus alongside several other Federation captains, where we will be taking part in a series of combat drills and exercises with our new allies. We will be on view, every action of every crew member of every ship carefully scrutinised, by the Romulans and our own commanders. To that end, it should go without saying that I expect nothing but your very best over the next few days. So far I've had no reason to doubt you, but the next few days are your chance to _really_ show me what you can do." She allowed a small smile to colour her voice, certain her crew would pick up on it. "We'll be working with several larger, more capable ships, so we've got our work cut out for us, but we are not the crew of any ship. We are the crew of an _Intrepid_ , made famous by _Voyager_ and her crew. If they can achieve so much in seven years of travelling across the Delta quadrant, then we can give the other captains a run for their money here. I trust you all, and I have faith in you. Let's make the name _Banshee_ remembered by both races, as the ship that showed everyone else how it's done.

Kassai, out."

"Well, I don't know about anyone else," Ryan said from his place at the helm, "but _I_ feel like I could fight the whole Collective after a speech like that."

"I agree," Olan said as Lydana took her chair. "You're doing a damn fine job as captain so far, Lydana." He smiled at her, but when she looked at him her own expression faltered.

"Olan...I'm sorry for before," she said quietly. "I know you were trying to remind me of the regulations, and I know you wanted what was best for the crew, but I just...anyway, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have cut you off as I did."

"It's fine, Captain," he said, still smiling. "You did what you felt you had to. You already know my feelings on the matter, but it's in the past now, so what say we move on?"

Lydana smiled weakly and nodded, before turning her attention back to the bridge crew.

"Treleya, as soon as you receive word that the dock is finished buttoning us up, pass the information over to Ryan. Ryan, once that happens, take us out of dock, maintaining full thrusters until we're clear and then going to full impulse until we reach the rendezvous, understood?"

Both officers gave her a firm "aye ma'am" and began inputting the necessary commands in preparation, before Lydana retired to her ready room to plan.

Plus, she had a mountain of reports to work through – another reason she hated having to take a ship to the dockyard.

She was so deeply entrenched in her battle against bureaucracy that she barely even noticed the ship leaving dry dock, only becoming aware when she rose to get her seventh cup of Vulcan spiced tea from the replicator. By that point, they were halfway to New Romulus, and she suddenly realised how tired she was.

She left the ship in Olan's capable hands and returned to her quarters, praying she actually got some sleep this time.

* * *

The small flotilla arrived at New Romulus without incident or difficulty, and Lydana joined Olan at the transporter room in her dress uniform – or at least, most of it – and the Commander frowned at her.

"Captain, I don't _quite_ think that's how dress uniform is meant to be worn."

She looked down at herself, realising he was talking about her decision to wear her usual skirt instead of the dress slacks more commonly issued, and she shrugged at him.

"I wasn't given a dress skirt and I hate wearing trousers," she said matter-of-factly, and although Olan shook his head he declined to say anything more. He knew when he wasn't going to get anywhere.

Lydana took her place on the transporter pad, giving a nod to the officer on duty as soon as she was ready, and the room disappeared to give way to a much larger, brighter room. The warm New Romulus sun beamed in through two large, floor-to-ceiling windows, offering an unrivaled view of the countryside surrounding the Embassy. Olan whistled in awe as he took in the view, Lydana herself grinning in joy at the sight – mostly because of the memories it brought up, of helping a dear friend decide if the world was fit for resettlement by her people. Without that moment, she wondered if she would ever had become so close to Loraya, and she thanked the Prophets for the events that brought the two of them together.

"I hear you helped the Romulans settle here," Olan said, still admiring the view, and Lydana shook her head.

"Not really," she said softly. "I helped them determine if it was able to be settled, but that was it. Spent most of my time here in orbit, fighting Tholians."

"Tholians?" Olan's eyes widened in astonishment, turning to her as he asked. "I hadn't heard that. What ship was this?"

"The _DaVinci,_ a little _Oberth_ -class science ship."

He coughed in shock, staring at her in amazement.

"You're not serious? You fought Tholians in a two-hundred year old ship?!"

"Well, I had help," she said blithely, as if it was of no importance. "And a damn fine crew."

They admired the view a little longer, before Lydana nudged her second-in-command and suggested they go and mingle. He nodded in agreement, not mentioning that he already knew why _she_ wanted to mingle, and the two of them walked into the large conference hall where the party was being held.

Lydana quickly lost track of the assorted Commanders, Subadmirals and Admirals gathered at the event, although she recalled Subcommander Nadel when they met. They had only spoken briefly several months previously via subspace, and it had been a pleasure to meet the woman in person.

She parted from her most recent conversation with Subadmiral Someone-or-other, whose monotone voice had not done wonders for her ability to listen to him. She picked a glass of wine from a passing server, sampling the beverage and smiling as she recognised the taste. She looked around the room, suddenly spotting a familiar face – albeit not the one she had been looking for.

"Commander Flores, a pleasure to see you again," she said, sidling up to her friend, who turned quickly at the sudden voice.

"Lyddie!"

She embraced her friend, almost spilling both their drinks, before Elisa finally remembered who she was hugging.

"Ahem...sorry, Captain Kassai," she corrected herself sheepishly, and Lydana shook her head.

"Not here, Lise," she said warmly, "I could do with just being 'Lyddie' for a while – this authority business is hard work."

The two of them fell into easy conversation as if they'd never been apart, and Lydana was careful not to let any information about her last mission slip – she was an Intelligence officer now, and that meant not just lying occasionally, but also outright denying certain events. As far as Elisa was concerned, her friend was nowhere near the Briar Patch, ever, and certainly knew nothing about any attacks on Klingon forces there.

After a while, another Romulan approached them, an older male with flecks of grey in his dark hair and a few more lines in his face than most others Lydana had met.

"Good evening, officers, I don't believe we have met," he announced, his voice warm and inviting. "I am Admiral Kererek, I run the fleet operations here on New Romulus."

"Ah, Admiral Kererek!" Lydana said cheerfully, extending her hand. "I've heard much about you. I am Captain Kassai, of the _Banshee_. This is my close friend, Commander Flores of the _Tigris._ A wonderful party your people have thrown here, sir."

"It is, isn't it?" he replied, beaming. "I for one am pleased that our allies from the Federation could...hmm." He paused in thought for a moment, his brow furrowed as he examined Lydana more closely. "Forgive me, Captain Kassai, but I don't believe I am familiar with people of your appearance. If I may ask, what race are you?"

"Bajoran, sir," she replied with a small chuckle. "My people are still relatively new to the Federation, even now."

"Bajoran...I think there is someone you might be interested to meet then."

He waved to an officer somewhere behind him, and beckoned them over. As they neared, Lydana's breath caught in her throat.

Clearly, it had been too long since she had last seen her wife. The woman's hair had grown longer, now pulled back into longer ponytail with a single lock framing each side of her face. The piercing grey eyes were still full of fierce and determined light, and Lydana couldn't help but smile.

"Officers, allow me to introduce one of our finest, Subcommander-"

"Loraya S'Vae," Lydana finished. "Forgive me, sir, we are...well acquainted."

"Ah, as I thought," he told her, before looking at Loraya. "You were right, she _is_ a sharp one," he told her with a chuckle. "We'll have to be careful out there."

As Lydana met her wife's eyes, she sensed something amiss. She couldn't place it, but there was a different light to them, one of...pain, perhaps, or something else. Either way, it seemed something was bothering her, and Lydana's brow knotted in concern.

"Is there something wrong?"

Loraya cleared her throat for a moment, passing her drink to Elisa and stepping forward to take Lydana's arm.

"Excuse a moment please," she said to the other two officers, taking her wife aside for a moment.

"Loraya, what is it?"

"Not here, and not now," Loraya stated, her voice flat and icy. "Tonight. Twenty-one hundred hours, my quarters. We need to talk."

She gave Lydana a small kiss on the cheek, but even that felt like an afterthought.

For the rest of the evening, Lydana found she couldn't focus properly. Something seemed off with her wife, and she feared the possible reasons for it. An Undine infiltrator? A Changeling? Or worse, did she want a divorce?

The worst thing was having to wait to find out, and so she was unable to remember who she spoke to or what about for the rest of the night.

* * *

A few minutes before twenty-one hundred, Romulan ship time, Lydana transported over to the _Sh'kyreh_ , Loraya's new ship. She smiled weakly as she was greeted by Satra, who gave her a small hug before escorting her to Loraya's quarters.

She seemed to give Lydana a look of sympathy as she left, and Lydana felt sick as she reached for the door chime.

The door hissed open and Lydana stepped in, seeing her wife stood inside the room. Her posture was stiff, tense, as if she was holding something back, and Lydana's concern grew. She let the door close behind her as she stepped towards her wife, hoping to find some way to ease...whatever it was.

"I've missed y-"

She was cut off by the sharp crack of flesh meeting flesh at high speed as Loraya slapped her, hard. She held a hand to her cheek, staring in stunned horror at her wife, the Romulan's eyes lit with unveiled anger.

"By the Prophets, Lydana, what were you trying to do?!" she snapped. "I'm not even part of the Federation, and even _I_ know that your regulations are against Captains undertaking away missions!"

She'd found out. Lydana didn't know how, but she had found out, and for some reason she was being forced to defend her actions to her own wife.

"I..." was all she managed, before Loraya cut her off with a fresh tirade.

"What was it, Dana? Were you trying to prove something? Show that you aren't just a scientist? Because you've never had to fight hand-to-hand to show your strength before, but this move was...was _idiocy!_ "

"I was trying to be a good captain!" Lydana cried out at last, tears spilling down her cheeks unchecked. "I wasn't about to send my crew on a mission that endangered their lives without taking those risks myself!"

"But that is what we _do_ , Lydana!" Loraya shot back. "It is our duty to command the ship as a whole, and by putting yourself in that position you endanger your ship, your crew...your own life. And against _Klingons_ , no less!"

Lydana could see the tears that Loraya had been fighting now, could see the pain that lay under the anger.

"It isn't just about _you_ , anymore, Lydana. You've got your crew to consider, but more than that...how do you think it would have felt for me, finding out that you'd been killed by some brute of a Klingon on an away mission you didn't need to take?"

"It...I...It was my prerogative as Captain to-"

"It's my prerogative as your _wife_ to tell you what a stupid move it was!" Loraya snapped, turning away from Lydana at last, her shoulders trembling with emotion.

"I...I am so sorry, Dana," she breathed, leaning against her table. "I'm angry because I love you so much, and I worry all the time. When I found out you'd been wounded, I...I feared the worst, and...I didn't want the last time I saw you to be the day I identify your body."

Her sobs robbed any further words from her, and Lydana silently moved forwards to gingerly wrap her arms around the taller woman. Loraya turned at the contact, pulling Lydana into a tight embrace, burying her face in her wife's hair and savouring her warmth, her smell, as if trying to commit it all to memory.

"I'm so sorry Raya," Lydana sobbed. "I didn't..."

Her voice trailed off as Loraya pulled away, stroking her cheeks before pulling her close and capturing her lips in a soft, delicate kiss.

"I might be able to forgive you," she whispered as they parted, attempting to hide her smile, "but it depends on how well you make it up to me."

Lydana scrubbed at her eyes with her hand, before peeling off her jacket and pulling Loraya into another kiss.

She reasoned she had a lot of making up to do, both for the grief and for lost time. She was not about to waste the opportunity.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Many thanks, as always, to my good friend and constant reader/reviewer Kretolus. His own STO story, Command Collapse, is pretty epic, and deserves to be read by all.**

 **Also, many other thanks to my other reader/reviewer of this story, Tremor3258, who has many excellent stories and should also be checked out promptly.**

 **Now that I've got that covered, I hope you enjoy...at least this chapter is nowhere near as long as the last one...**

* * *

"Apology...very much accepted," Loraya said breathlessly, sighing contentedly as she entwined her legs with Lydana's.

The small Bajoran giggled, gently kissing her wife's collarbone, mildly annoyed that Loraya didn't sweat when her own skin was beaded with perspiration. Before she could go any further, a finger pressed against her forehead pushed her back, allowing Loraya to pull her into a normal embrace.

"Give me a rest, my love," she chided affectionately, "I only have so much stamina, you know."

Lydana giggled again, shuffling closer to the taller woman, luxuriating in the feel of Loraya's skin against her own.

"Sorry, Raya," she answered in a near-whisper, "I just want to make the most of our time before I have to go back to the _Banshee_."

"And we will, don't you worry," Loraya told her reassuringly. "But for now, I have a question."

Lydana made a small hum of understanding, inviting her to carry on, but instead Loraya gently pushed Lydana back against the bed. She raised herself on one elbow, her hand supporting her head, while she traced the line of Lydana's chest scar with her free hand.

"How in the world did you defeat a Klingon in hand-to-hand combat?"

"Two," she corrected, before propping herself up on both elbows, her eyes narrowing as she looked at Loraya. "And how do you even know? It was an Intelligence mission, the details aren't even known to the rest of _Starfleet_."

Loraya shrugged lopsidedly.

"I have my own contacts within Romulan Intelligence, don't forget. Commander Tal'Mera owed me favour or four after the last time I worked with them."

Lydana scoffed, her disgust at the mention of Tal'Mera evident, before dropping back to the bed.

"I think I won more through luck, than anything else," she admitted, her voice suddenly quiet. "I certainly don't have any close-combat skills that match those of the Empire."

"But you're here, and they aren't," Loraya told her, then gave her a sharp tap on the cheek. " _Despite_ taking stupid risks, I might add." There was no anger in her voice this time, but the concern still lingered, and Lydana reached out to stroke Loraya's face tenderly.

"I really am sorry, Raya," she said, although she'd lost count of how many times she'd said it that night, and Loraya shook her head.

"It's okay, Dana, let's forget about it now," she suggested. "Now, how- wait, what time is it?"

Before Lydana could find out the answer, Loraya reached over to the small table on her own side of the small bed, picking up a small PADD and keying the display. She looked at the time, made a small noise to herself and began scrambling over Lydana and off the bed.

"Did I miss something?" the Bajoran asked, watching her wife padding across the room with undisguised pleasure, the pale light of the Dewa star playing across her pale, green-tinged skin. To Lydana, who'd been born and raised on Bajor, the skin colour of Romulans always made them seem severely ill, but she knew it was a side effect of their green, copper-based blood.

Not that it detracted from her fascination with Loraya, of course. In fact, if she was honest with herself, her skin tone only added to the Romulan warrior's beauty.

Loraya began looking through a small cupboard, giving a small cheer as she found what she had been searching for. She straightened up, holding what appeared to be a small box, and walked back over to the bed.

"Computer, lights, low," she ordered into the air, and the computer complied. "A little something for you, my love." She presented the box to Lydana, who frowned as she pushed herself up into a sitting position, any notion of shame about her nakedness dismissed in the presence of her wife.

"What's this?" she asked, taking the box and inspecting it. It was wood, apparently cut from New Romulus – the turqouise colour was unmistakable, and neither was the care that had gone into its construction.

"Just open it," Loraya said, an expectant smile on her features, and Lydana smiled back, easing the lid off the small container.

She gasped with delight as she saw what was inside, and she gently removed the small carved object from the box. It was stone, judging by the weight, and a deep blue in colour. It hummed softly as Lydana held it, and she noticed that, unlike the box, the workmanship of the stone was far less professional.

It was a model ship, rendered in stone with enthusiasm and care if not skill, and despite the crude work its design was still obvious.

In her hand, she held a small, stone rendition of an _Intrepid_ -class ship, and she looked back at Loraya with an expression of unalloyed pleasure.

"This is...it's beautiful, Raya," she said, examining the curious stone ship, and the Romulan grinned.

"I'm glad. I had the box made especially, but I carved the stone myself...as you can probably tell." She blushed slightly, but Lydana was only further amazed.

" _You_ carved this? It's amazing, truly..." Loraya frowned as her wife's voice trailed off.

"But?"

"But...what's the occasion?"

Loraya's expression fell.

"You are joking, aren't you? This is some peculiar Bajoran jest, isn't it?"

Lydana shook her head in silent confusion, and Loraya sighed.

"It's your _birthday_ , you fool," she said affectionately, and it was Lydana's turn to blush from embarassment.

"Prophets...with everything that's been going on, and living on a ship that runs on Earth time instead of Bajoran, I just...I completely forgot."

Loraya laughed, shaking her head again before sitting by Lydana's legs.

"The stone is a kind we found near the river, and growing at the base of the main rock formations," she explained, certain that Lydana would be interested by the information. "We took samples, obviously, and it's been studied extensively, and there have been no ill effects from the strange resonating phenomena you're experiencing from it. No-one yet knows _why_ it does that, either, but there you go."

"I'll have to run my own tests then," Lydana teased, earning a slap on the thigh for her troubles.

"Try it, young lady, and I'll persuade your admiral to reassign you to a Cardassian cruiser."

"Oh, now that's just harsh," Lydana objected, "those things have absolutely _no_ class or grace."

"Unlike a certain delightful Bajoran," Loraya told her, running her hand back up Lydana's leg as she leaned in for a kiss.

"Flatterer," Lydana murmured, slipping the model back into its box before pulling Loraya towards her, and the Romulan let out a brief yelp as the smaller woman dropped flat against the bed again, causing Loraya to lose balance and collapse on top of her.

"Well, if you insist," she purred, shifting position until she was on top of her wife, gazing into the Bajoran's eyes for a long moment.

"Happy birthday, Dana," she whispered, before closing her eyes and claiming Lydana's lips in a deep, passionate kiss.

* * *

The two women got some sleep – eventually – and Lydana woke feeling refreshed, ready for the wargames that both sides were taking part in.

She was also, she noticed, running slightly late.

She hurried around Loraya's small quarters, trying to find her uniform and get dressed as soon as possible.

Her commbadge chirruped from somewhere underneath her jacket, and she threw the jacket over one shoulder as she tapped the commbadge.

"Kassai, go."

" _Captain, are you ready?"_ Rassi's voice asked over the comm, his tone concerned. _"We're going to be leaving in five minutes."_

"Understood Commander, I was just...um...conferring, with Subcommander S'Vae. I'll be ready in a moment."

" _Indeed,"_ the commander replied, a smile obviously colouring his tone this time. _"I'll meet you in the transporter room, sir. Rassi, out."_

As she busily tried to find her undershirt, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist, and Loraya moved up behind her, kissing along her neck and nibbling her shoulder playfully.

"Raya, this...this is not the time, dearest," Lydana complained half-heartedly, but Loraya ignored her.

"Five more minutes?" the Romulan muttered, delicately biting Lydana between her neck and shoulder, eliciting a small gasp of pleasure from the smaller woman.

"Don't...don't make me pull rank."

"Won't work," Loraya muttered. "Romulan vessel. You have no jurisdiction."

Lydana could feel her self-control waning, and she knew if she didn't break the contact soon she would be in for a world of trouble with her superiors.

"Raya...I mean it, we will both be in trouble if we're late for this," she attempted, but Loraya was too busy toying with the waistband of Lydana's skirt to notice.

"I'll shoot you if I have to."

Loraya paused at last, and Lydana was finally able to catch her breath, shaking off the shivers that Loraya had been causing to run down her spine.

"You wouldn't dare," the Romulan argued, and Lydana seized the opportunity to pull away from her wife's clutches. She turned around, giving the dejected Romulan a longing kiss before resting her hand on Loraya's chest.

"Next time, my love, I'll make sure we have all the time in the world," she promised, "but today isn't that day I'm afraid. We're both too busy, and I just _know_ Admiral DeVare would have my head if I mess this up."

Loraya sighed heavily, and gave Lydana a kiss on the forehead.

"Fine, you win this time, Captain," she complained, still smiling affectionately at her wife. "But next time you owe me a proper wake-up call."

"Count on it," Lydana replied with a grin. "Now, help me find the rest of my uniform?"

Loraya did just that, and as soon as Lydana had pulled her undershirt on her commbadge sounded again from her hand, and she tapped it in frustration.

" _We really need to go-"_

"Alright, yes, beam me up when ready, Commander," she snapped. "Seriously, Olan, you're worse than my wife."

She grinned at Loraya, whose eyes narrowed in mock annoyance as Lydana finally vanished in a blue haze.

* * *

Lydana pulled her jacket on as she stepped off the transporter pad, sweeping past Olan who fell into step beside her as they walked to the turbolift.

"So, you finally remembered where we parked the ship?"

"Sorry Olan, but it had been a while since I saw her, you know?"

"Of course, but she really couldn't let you go? When _both_ of you are taking part today?"

"She's very persuasive," she sighed, hitting the button to call the turbolift as soon as they reached it. He gave a nod of understanding, and they both stepped into the lift in silence.

She eventually noticed him staring at something, and she met his gaze almost defiantly.

"What is it, Commander?"

"Nothing, sir, nothing," he said innocently, suddenly focussing on the lift wall. "I just thought marking one's lover was a Klingon trait, not Romulan."

Lydana snapped her collar up, scowling at the wall herself.

"Pick an airlock, Olan," she sighed, "you're leaving."

* * *

As the mixed fleet finally got underway, heading towards an unoccupied system in the former Neutral Zone, the captains of both races sent messages to each other – placing wagers, betting with prime beverages from their personal stores or rare trinkets they had come across in their travels. It was all done in the spirit of friendly competition, and there were even plans made for officer exchanges after the exercises.

"Sir, we're being hailed by the _Erymex_ ," Lirvan said, and Lydana paused in her conversation with Olan.

"Onscreen, by all means."

The screen lit with an oval-faced, cheerful-looking Romulan, with a prominent double brow ridge and thick, dark hair, growing longer than was traditional by Romulan standards.

"Ah, you would be Captain...Kassai, I believe?"

"I am indeed, and you are?" She kept her tone friendly, sensing no hostility in his warm features.

"I am Commander Vehrat, and it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Captain."

"Likewise, Commander. What can I do for you?"

"Well, I have just had the most _mind-numbing_ conversation with your Captain...what was her name...Tenahbi, that was it! Yes, a most distressing creature, I found, she wouldn't even contemplate a friendly wager. I was hoping you might be a little more amenable."

Lydana rose, her face creased in a disarming smile as she addressed the Romulan.

"I see no harm in it Commander, especially since you're clearly going to lose."

"Captain!" Olan objected playfully. "We should at least give the Romulans _some_ hope, even if it is misplaced."

"Oh, right, of course. Do go on, Commander Vehrat, what is the nature of your wager?"

Vehrat laughed at Lydana's display, wagging a finger at her as he replied.

"You are _definitely_ a different kind of person to Miss Tenahbi, and your confidence will prove to be the only thing misplaced here," he warned jokingly. "Very well. I wager that my ship will outlast yours in the first exercise, and our side will claim the first 'kill'."

"A bold claim, if ever there was one," Lydana mused, "but I can do better. Not only will the Federation score the first kill, but I wager that the first kill will be made by Captain Tenahbi."

"Oho, it's like that, is it?" Vehrat laughed. "Very well, and what stakes will you be putting up?"

Lydana spread her arms in a gesture of pleading, one that no-one who knew her would fall for.

"Please, Commander, I am but a lowly scientist, I don't have a lot to offer, but...how about a Klingon disruptor pistol? I'd offer a bat'leth, but it looks too good on my wall."

"You'll have to tell me sometime, how a 'lowly scientist' deprived a Klingon of both his pistol and _bat'leth_ ," Vehrat chuckled, not hiding his awe at her achievements. "In that case, I will wager a Romulan plasma pistol – certainly a little more exotic than a Klingon disruptor."

"And a much nicer design, too," Lydana added. "That would make a nice collection to my growing armoury..."

"Ha! Nonsense, that disruptor is as good as mine!"

Lydana narrowed her eyes at the confident Romulan captain, a sly smile playing on her lips.

"You're awfully sure of your people, Commander," she told him. "Why is that?"

Vehrat looked thoughtful, mulling over the question before he answered.

"Well..I probably shouldn't say, but some of our people have been teaching a rather nasty little Federation trick to the rest of us-"

"Oh I know," Lydana answered smugly. "I was the one who taught _them_."

She watched with satisfaction as he slowly added up the information, and the realisation dawned on him a little too late.

"Wait...you're-!" He buried his face in his palm for a moment, eventually looking back at Lydana with a much less confident expression.

"I didn't put it together until now," he sighed. "You are Kassai Lydana, wife of our own Subcommander S'Vae?"

Lydana smiled, beaming at the knowledge that her wife was becoming recognised.

"Yes, I have that honour," she told him. "I also had the honour to spend some time with her crew before she was given the _Sh'kyreh._ "

"Yes, I've heard. Now I know who to be wary of in the coming days," Vehrat said, with a respectful incline of his head.

"Oh, I'm not so-"

"Captain, message from the flag," Lirvan interrupted. "We're approaching the boundary of the exercise area. All units are ordered to cease communications immediately and standby for orders."

"We've just been told the same, Captain," Vehrat said, before Lydana could explain. "Good hunting, Miss Kassai, and be safe."

"Likewise. _Jolan Tru_ , Commander."

Vehrat inclined his head in respect once again, and the screen reverted to the view ahead of the _Banshee_.

"Treleya, take us to yellow alert," Lydana ordered, as she strode back to her chair. "ryan, be sure to match course and speed with the _Queen Mary_ , she's leading us in to our deployment zone."

"Aye sir," Ryan called back, and Lydana tried to hide how uncertain she was about this exercise. Tenahbi was not the most...tactically imaginative, and their already-strained relationship was going to be tested further with Loraya being one of the opposing captains.

"This...is going to be interesting," she said quietly, steepling her fingers as she focussed on the viewscreen.

Interesting...and undoubtedly very unpleasant.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: As usual, thanks to my good friend Kretolus, both for vast amounts of advice and for using a race of his own creation. He's certainly helped make parts of this story a lot better, I think.**

 **I will not apologise for the length of this chapter - it needed it. Besides, I think this one is worth it.**

 **Thanks as always for reading, folks!**

* * *

Lydana found herself pleasantly surprised during their briefing with Tenahbi. Not only did the stern Caitian manage to avoid making any snide comments to her, she also gave the _Banshee_ a role that suited it.

The small group of Starfleet vessels hid within an asteroid field, each ship running on low power to mask their presence. The _Banshee_ , however, was hidden further away, in the rings of a nearby gas giant. It was also running on low power, but their sensors were still active. With all other emissions hidden, the relatively small energy signature from the sensors allowed them to act as the fleet's eyes, periodically sweeping for signs of cloaked Romulan ships and alerting the other ships if any were found.

The Bajoran Captain sat in her chair, staring at the viewscreen intently and unconsciously rubbing her nose ridges again. She dropped her hand to the armrest as soon as she caught herself, sighing heavily in frustration as she looked at Treleya.

"Seriously, nothing yet?"

Treleya looked at her captain apologetically and shook her head. The darkness of the low-powered bridge seemed to keep everyone quiet and subdued, except for Lydana herself.

"Remember Captain, the Romulans have as much space to cover as we do," Olan reminded her. "The only difference is, we're being patient, using ambush tactics to get the drop on a technologically superior force."

Lydana sighed again, knowing that he was right but agitated all the same.

"I know, I know, I just...I hate waiting around. If this was a real combat situation, then I think-"

A warning chime sounded from Treleya's station, and Lydana's attention snapped towards the Ensign.

"Is it the Romulans?" she asked, crossing the bridge in a hurry to converse with the younger officer. Treleya shook her head, frowning in confusion.

"I don't think so, sir. It looks like...like a spatial anomaly. No, wait...five of them. Five spatial anomalies, opening at the far edge of the system."

Lydana realised her own actions were causing her crew's tension to rise, and she chided herself for reacting like a cadet fresh from the Academy. She took a deep, steady breath, marshalling her thoughts and emotions into a calmer state, then spoke to Treleya again.

"Okay, what can you tell me?"

"At this range, not a lot – not with our sensors under-powered as they are."

Lydana bit her lip in thought. If this was a trick by the Romulans to lure the Starfleet ships out, then boosting the sensor output would give away the _Banshee_ 's position for no reason. But, on the other hand, if it was something that needed investigating and they ignored it...

"Can you calibrate the sensors to emit a single, stronger pulse?" she asked suddenly. "A single pulse at normal power, then drop it back down to the low-power setting? The sudden emission spike should be written off as a sensor ghost at best."

Treleya considered it for a moment, then nodded confidently.

"Aye sir, give me a moment."

"Captain, are you sure?" Olan asked, moving to her side. "That could give our position away and blow the first match for the Federation."

"I know Olan, but what if this is something that needs to be looked into? What if it's something system-threatening?" She shook her head somberly. "Sorry Olan, but I can't take that chance."

The Betazoid Commander paused for a moment, then gave her a choppy nod.

"Okay. I'm behind you entirely on this one, Captain."

"Pulse is ready, sir," Treleya announced, and Lydana turned her attention back to the Ensign.

"Do it."

There was a tense pause as the sensor array complied, sending out a stronger pulse in accordance with Treleya's commands. After a few seconds, the Ensign began tapping at her console, frowning in concentration.

"I'm reading five quantum singularities, strong gravimetric distortions...Ilá's mercy, Captain, I think it's Undine!"

Lydana's face drained of colour as the enormity of the threat hit her. Any race powerful enough to threaten the Borg was a significant concern for everyone.

"Prophets...Lirvan, hail the _Queen Mary_ , tell them we have detected quantum singularities that match the Undine's rifts to fluidic space, and that we are about to move to engage."

"Aye sir, sending now," Lirvan stated, her voice shaking only slightly.

"Bridge to Engineering."

" _Zarva here, Captain."_

"Zarva, I need you to get ready to bring us back up to full power, and fast – we've detected Undine in-system."

There was only the briefest pause before her friend replied, the Bolian's voice flat and steady.

" _On your order, Captain."_

"Sir, the flag is ordering us to maintain position, they don't agree with our findings," Lirvan stated, and Lydana swore. She leaned against the rail behind her chair, brow creased in thought as she chewed her lip again.

"To hell with it, I am not letting us all die because of her ignorance. Bridge to Engineering."

" _Engineering, go,"_ Zarva replied.

"Bring us back to full power as fast as you can, we're going to engage." She turned back to Lirvan, her eyes lit with intent.

"Lirvan, send a message to the fleet, inform them we have a threat in-system and request all units to engage. Ryan, get us moving towards those singularities the minute we have power."

"Aye sir!" he called back firmly, and Lirvan looked over at the Captain again.

"Sir, the _Queen Mary_ is hailing us!"

"Of course she is," Lydana muttered. "Onscreen."

The bridge display lit with the familiar, dark-furred features of Captain Tenahbi, her left eye now covered with a plain black eyepatch, her right fixing Lydana with a wrathful glare.

"Cease your foolish attempts to ruin this exercise at once!" she snarled. "I will not have our reputation ruined for-"

"Check your sensors, Tenahbi!" Lydana interrupted. "Those are Undine quantum singularities, and-"

"We have detected the same, and they are just a Romulan trick to get us to expose ourselves," the Caitian growled, her already-strained patience rapidly diminishing. "And it seems it is working, because you are too stupid to know otherwise!"

Lydana ignored the insult, taking a deep breath as she responded.

"A Romulan trick," she queried, "on the edge of the system? That makes no sense. Not only that, but the Romulans have barely even _fought_ the Undine, they wouldn't know how to fake these readings!"

"Unless some idiot from the Federation had gone to them and given away our information," she rasped, her voice low and dangerous. "Your opinions were invalidated the day you betrayed us and went to that traitor's side, girl. You are on your own."

The screen blanked suddenly, and Lydana swore viciously.

"Sir, what shall we do?" Lirvan asked. "I can tell Zarva to cut power again..."

"No," Lydana answered firmly. "Treleya, bring the sensors up to full and scan those singularities again. Get me confirmation!"

"On it."

Already the lights were beginning to brighten, the hum of the warp core once again reverberating through the ship, and Ryan's hands began working his console as reported back to Lydana.

"We've got engines up ma'am, setting course for the singularities now."

"Sir, confirmation – they are _definitely_ Undine rifts, and there are ships coming through!"

"Sound red alert," Lydana ordered calmly, returning to her chair. "Nazan, charge weapons and load torpedoes, shields up."

"Aye aye, powering weapons now."

"Treleya, send our sensor data to all ships," the Bajoran commanded. " _Someone_ out there has to listen to us."

A brief moment passed before Treleya confirmed the information had been sent, and Lydana heaved a sigh of relief. If nothing else, at least her wife would believe her.

She sat uneasily in her chair, doing her best to project an air of confidence she didn't feel, until she felt the gentle touch of Olan's hand against her arm.

"Easy, Captain," he said softly as she met his gaze, "you've done the right thing. Someone will listen to you now, I'm sure of it."

"Sir!" Treleya shouted, almost triumphantly. "Two warbirds de-cloaking and matching course!"

Lydana closed her eyes and almost wept with joy.

"Which ones?"

"The... _Erymex_ and the _Sh'kyreh_ ," she reported, and Lydana almost laughed. Her wife and her new-found friend, both falling in alongside her.

"Sir, both warbirds are hailing us," Lirvan told her, and the Bajoran ordered them both put onscreen.

The viewscreen lit with both captains faces, their expressions concerned.

"Captain Kassai, looks like our wager is off for now," Vehrat suggested. "Are you certain of your findings?"

Before she could respond, Loraya cut in.

"My wife is a scientist, sir, she doesn't act without cause," she told her superior. "If she says there's a threat, then there's a threat."

"Thank you for input, Subcommander," Vehrat stated without malice. "Very well Captain, we'll be with you. Loraya, engage cloak and prepare to break and flank. Captain Kassai, I repeat my last message to you – good hunting, and stay safe."

"That goes double from me, Dana," Loraya said gently. "You die on me, I'll never forgive you."

"Don't worry, Raya, I'm not going anywhere," she assured her wife. "You stay safe too. _Banshee_ , out."

The screen blanked, and Lydana took a shaking breath. There had been so much more she wanted to say...that she loved Loraya always, and no matter what she would wait for the Romulan. But on the bridge, in front of her crew, was neither the time or place.

"It's okay, Captain," Olan told her, "she knows. And she wished to say the same to you, but couldn't out of propriety."

Lydana smiled at him, deeply thankful for her resident empath. However, before she could respond, Treleya called out again.

"Sir, the _Tigris_ has just gone to full power and is- correction, the _Tigris and_ the _Olympus_ have now gone to full power and are on a pursuit course," she announced. "The _Queen Mary_ and the _Euphrates_ are still not moving."

"Typical. Time to intercept the Undine?"

"They're heading right for us, ten minutes to intercept."

"Alright," Lydana said to her bridge crew, "stay calm and focussed, people, and we will get through this. I've got the utmost faith in you – let's get this done."

* * *

The ship rocked as another volley of neuroelectric bolts slammed into the shields, blowing out more conduits as the damage bled through. The _Banshee_ maintained her course, leading a trio of Undine bioships towards an unmarked point in space where the _Sh'kyreh_ and _Erymex_ lay in wait. The _Tigris_ was performing strafing runs against any ship that came close, dealing as much damage as possible to as many enemies as possible, and the _Valdore_ -class warbird _K'rya_ was sweeping in to support her.

The _Olympus_ , being a Multi-Vector escort, was probably coping best on its own – it had split into its three component sections, all three sections attacking the same target from multiple directions in order to eliminate the threat swiftly.

The other Romulan vessel, the vast _D'deridex_ -class battlecruiser _Valex Irius_ had already decloaked, and was engaging multiple targets at once with broad volleys from its disruptor cannons, the emerald pulses filling the space and punching into the ships still trying to exit the rifts.

As it stood, the _Queen Mary_ and _Euphrates_ still refused to engage, and no-one had been able to raise them.

"Nazan, get ready to fire all aft weapons on the central bioship," Lydana commanded, leaning forward in her chair. "Don't spread the fire, focus on one, don't give it any chance to regenerate."

"Aye ma'am, aft weapons ready."

"Ryan, time to rendezvous?"

"Ten seconds!"

Another heave, and more warning tones emanated from Treleya's station.

"Port nacelle's been hit, sir," she announced, her voice strained. "It's... _nngh_...it's venting plasma and we're...we're losing speed."

"Ryan, reroute emergency power to the engines until we reach that rendezvous!" Lydana snapped, before turning to Treleya. "Ensign, are you alright?"

The Zan-Ethi officer's was creased with effort, beads of sweat forming across her brow. Lydana knew the cause – Treleya's people, while not as prominently psychic as Vulcans, still had a degree of psychic ability, rendering them susceptible to mental intrusion from the malevolent Undine.

"I'll..be fine, Captain," she managed, focussing on her console, and Lydana nodded. She turned to Olan at her side, who wasn't looking much healthier, and rested a hand on his arm.

"Keep it together, Olan, I need you here," she said softly, and the Commander merely nodded.

"Captain!"

Ryan's shout snapped Lydana's attention back to the viewscreen, where she saw the two Romulan vessels decloaking, opening fire on the ships behind her.

"Nazan, now!"

A barrage of phaser beams lanced out from the stern of the ship, biting into the prow of the ship at the centre of the formation behind them. A split second later a pair of photon torpedoes slammed into it, destroying the built-in weapon and knocking the ship off course. As the _Banshee_ passed between the two Romulan ships, they opened fire with all of their weapons, ripping into the trio and tearing them apart in a conflagration of green-hued energy.

"Captain, we need to close those rifts," Treleya stated, her voice less strained for the time being. "There are still more ships coming through – as long as those rifts are open, we are going to lose this fight."

"Agreed." Lydana closed her eyes, thinking of everything she knew of the Undine.

Originally discovered by the Borg in the Delta quadrant, _Voyager_ was brought into the war between the two when Janeway actually allied with the Borg to cross their space. They eventually found out that the Borg had started the conflict when they broke through into Undine space...

"A graviton beam," she stated suddenly, her eyes snapping open. "When _Voyager_ first encountered them in the Delta quadrant, a reverse graviton beam was used to _open_ a rift into fluidic space, so a graviton beam should be able to _close_ them as well!"

"Is that possible?" Olan asked, and sLydana nodded vigorously.

"It's no different to using a gravity well, just a different application of the same technology. Treleya! Configure the main deflector for a focussed graviton beam, there should be extra information in the databanks if you need it. Ryan, bring us around to-"

The ship lurched again under repeated impacts, causing several conduits in the bridge ceiling to blow, and Lirvan's console detonated in a shower of sparks.

"Deflector Control's been hit!" Treleya called out. "Main deflector is offline, and we've got more Undine coming in for another pass!"

"Ryan, evasive manoeuvres, pattern Epsilon-Three!" Lydana shouted over the noise of fresh impacts. "Treleya, get damage control teams down to Deflector Control, we need that back online! And someone get Lirvan to sickbay!"

The slender ship plunged into a corkscrew dive as Ryan complied with his instructions, causing another series of Undine attacks to go wide. Fresh phaser beams lanced out from the _Banshee_ 's dorsal arrays, scoring several hits on one of the bioships but with little effect, and this time the return fire scored a direct hit. The arcing beam punched through the _Banshee_ 's shields, tearing a hole across the rear of the 'saucer' section, and fresh damage alarms sounded from Treleya's panel.

"Hull breaches on decks ten, eleven and twelve, aft section! Aft torpedo launchers are offline!"

Lydana swore again, using a choice selection of words Elisa had taught her in the Academy, and she pushed herself out of her chair and staggered around to Nazan's station at Tactical.

"Can we modify a photon torpedo to mimic the effect of a graviton pulse?" asked the Saurian, and he looked at her quizzically.

"I...don't honestly know, ma'am," he told her. "I haven't tried it, and we have graviton weapons specifically for that reason."

"But this ship isn't _armed_ with any, so we have to improvise," she chided, flinching as the ship heaved under another assault. "Prophets, what I wouldn't give for a few biomolecular warheads...can you do it or not?"

"I'll do my best, sir," he replied, and Lydana nodded to him.

"Good, give me as many as you can. Ryan, I need-"

"Sir!" Treleya's alarmed shout cut her off, and she moved over to the Ensign's station. "Sir, it's the _Valex Irius_...her singularity is going critical."

Treleya gestured to the viewscreen, where she had displayed the stricken battlecruiser. The vast warbird was listing to one side, green flame spewing from a dozen wounds in her armoured skin, until finally the whole ship vanished in a flare of white-green energy.

However, due to the bizarre nature of Romulan singularity cores, the detonation actually caused two of the Undine rifts to collapse, and three of the ships that killed her were also destroyed in the blast.

"Any survivors?" Lydana asked quietly, and Treleya shook her head.

"Even if they had managed to get to the lifepods...there's no way they could have escaped that kind of blast in time."

"Ryan, head back towards the rifts," she ordered. "We have to do something. Nazan, how are you doing?"

"It's hard going, between keeping the shields balanced, shooting at Undine and trying to modify torpedoes," he said bitterly, and Lydana scowled at him.

"I didn't ask for complaints, Lieutenant, I asked for an update!"

Nazan sighed, not daring to meet Lydana's eyes.

"I'm getting there, sir," he said at last. "I _think_ I have two ready, but we'll need to test them."

"Then target the nearest rift and prepare to launch as soon as we're in range," she ordered, and moved back to her chair. Another salvo of impacts rocked the ship, almost throwing Lydana to the deck, but she managed to keep her balance and take her seat. "Treleya, report!"

"The warp core's just gone offline!" she shouted, and Lydana thought quickly.

"Divert emergency power to the warp core and get it restarted, use the power from the aft weapons as well, just get us moving!"

"That's not all, sir – the _Tigris_ is requesting assistance, the _Sh'kyreh_ has been boarded and the _Prometheus_ is crippled. There are two more warp signatures approaching, but I can't gauge how far away they are."

Lydana resisted the urge to bury her face in her hands. Everyone around her was dying, and now her best friend and her wife were on the firing line as well. She watched the viewscreen as the _Tigris_ lost all forward momentum, an Undine shot shearing through the nacelle pylon and cutting it away from the ship. The flat escort began to tumble through space, its phasers useless as it failed to establish a lock on any of the bioships.

Lydana watched the screen, her eyes burning with unshed tears as another bioship took position and charged its main weapon, the prow aimed squarely at the _Tigris'_ saucer.

In the split second before it fired, a fresh volley of phaser blasts cut into the bioship, followed by a salvo of torpedoes that tore it apart, and a massive vessel slid through the expanding cloud of vapour.

Looking like an oversized saucer attached to a pair of warp nacelles, the _Nebula_ -class was an odd ship, but Lydana had never been so thankful to see one.

"It's the _Euphrates_ , sir," Treleya announced triumphantly. "She's hailing us."

"Onscreen."

The screen lit with the familiar face of now-Captain Myrryn, and the other Bajoran smiled at Lydana.

"Apologies for my lateness, Lydana," she said, her expression one of distaste. "I was having something of a...disagreement, with Captain Tenahbi. She's also joining the battle now, at long last. What are your orders?"

Lydana looked nonplussed, baffled by the question.

"You're asking _me_ for orders? But Tenahbi-"

"Has lost the right to command, in my eyes," Myrryn finished, "so I'm asking you."

"Get to the rifts," Lydana commanded after a moment. "A focussed graviton beam should be able to close them. We'll be back in the fight as soon as we're able."

"Understood, Lydana. We'll see it done. _Euphrates,_ out."

"Well," Olan breathed, "that was unexpected."

A sudden alert tone from Treleya's console sounded, and Lydana rolled her eyes.

"What bad news this time?"

"Not bad news, sir," Treleya announced, beaming at her captain. "Those two warp signatures – they've just arrived."

Instead of elaborating, she put the image on the viewscreen, and Lydana gasped in awe.

It had been the two ships used by the Admirals officiating the wargames – an immense _Scimitar_ -class on the Romulan's side, and an _Avenger-_ class carrier from the Federation. As soon as they arrived, they targeted the Undine ships and opened up with all of their weapons, and with co-ordinated fire from the _Queen Mary_ and _Erymex_ a path was carved for the _Euphrates_. With the two huge vessels providing covering fire, Captain Myrryn's ship was able to target each remaining rift in succession, the tightly-focussed beam causing each one to collapse.

* * *

Despite the reinforcements, clearing out the last of the Undine bioships was still arduous, and no ship got away unscathed. The two larger vessels were able to weather the assaults, but the _Queen Mary_ suffered severely when a section of bioship slammed into the starboard side of the saucer. The _Euphrates_ took a number of hits to her engineering section, forcing her to eject the warp core before it went critical.

Eventually, however, the Undine _were_ destroyed, and finally the surviving ships were able to work on repairs.

"Hail the _Tigris,"_ Lydana sighed, fearing the worst. Those fears proved unfounded, however, when her friend's face lit the screen, despite the static caused by damage.

The redhead looked pale, a deep wound above her eye causing blood to trickle down one side of her face, but she still manage a weak smile for her friend.

"Hey Captain, good to see you're still alive," she said, her breathing laboured. "Took a pretty heavy beating ourselves, as you can tell."

"Well, I'm glad you're okay, Lise," Lydana told her, fighting to keep her emotions in check. "Do you need any assistance?"

"Medically, no, we're okay there. Could use a shuttle of engineers though, if you've got any spare."

"Consider it done. I don't think any of us are going anywhere fast, so just...take it easy, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am," Elisa said with a weak, jaunty salute. "We'll catch up later. I best see to my people right now."

"Understood. I'll get you those engineers in a minute. _Banshee_ , out."

As soon as the screen blanked, Lydana heaved a sigh of relief looked at her first officer.

"Olan, co-ordinate with our repair teams, please," she asked gently. "Once I've got things underway here, I'll be seeing what assistance I can offer myself."

"Sir?"

"I'm medically trained," she reminded him. "Some of those ships are going to need my help."

Instead of arguing, Olan simply nodded, tapping commands into the small terminal between their chairs.

"Okay sir, I understand. I think we can spare you this time." He gave her a smile, but she ignored it as she continued issuing orders.

"Kassai to Engineering."

" _One of- Anari here,"_ their resident liberated Borg stated, still attempting to get used to the name she had been given at birth.

"Anari? I need an Engineering report please."

" _The Lieutenant-Commander has been wounded and is in sickbay. I have assumed her duties in the meantime. Warp core is stable, and should be back online momentarily. The repairs to the port nacelle will take longer, but we should be able to manage impulse within the next half an hour."_

"Very good, keep at it. In the meantime, I need an engineering team to report to the shuttle bay, to assist with repairs aboard the _Tigris_."

" _I will assign a suitable team right away. Is there anything else Captain?"_

Much as she had initially distrusted liberated Borg officers, Anari continued to prove her worth, and Lydana smiled.

"No, thank you Anari. Carry on. Bridge, out."

"Sir, we're being hailed," Treleya stated, her expression much less pained now that the powerful psychic creatures weren't in proximity.

"Which vessel?"

"The _Sh'kyreh_ ," she answered, and Lydana noted the concern in her tone.

"Onscreen."

She almost wept when she saw the face of Tovan instead of her wife, but he immediately raised his hands in a placating gesture.

"Don't worry, Lyddie- sorry, _Captain_ – Loraya is alive, she's just in medical. Tried going toe-to-toes with an Undine that boarded us, and it didn't go too well. She'll be okay in a while, I just wanted to inform you first."

"I appreciate it, Tovan. Thank you."

The Romulan officer gave her a kind smile, brushing off the thanks with a shake f his head.

"No need to thank me, Lydana. She's your wife, and I like to think that we're friends of yours as well. I owe it to you to let you know."

"Actually, Tovan, I think the crew from the _Leucosia_ are more like family to me, after the time I spent with you. Do you need any assistance?"

"We're okay, thank you," he told her. "The admirals have sent over extra repair and medical crews, so we're doing okay for now."

"Very well. Keep me informed, okay?"

"Will do, Lyddie. Tovan, out."

Olan raised an eyebrow at her, his lips quirked in a suppressed smile.

"Family?"

"Hey, I may be Bajoran by birth, but I'm Romulan by marriage," she said seriously. "They are as much my people as Myrryn or anyone else from my world, and Loraya's crew saved the lives of me and my old crew once. They are as much my family as my parents are."

"That's...a pretty amazing attitude," Olan told her with a warm smile, then he frowned at something he noticed. "Hmm...Treleya, is there are distress call from the _Queen Mary_?"

Treleya checked her panel, giving a sharp nod.

"Aye sir, she's requesting additional medical assistance on the bridge."

"Looks like I've found my destination," Lydana said with a sigh. "Get a medical team to meet me in transporter room one, I'm going over."

"Aye sir," Olan told responded. "We'll keep getting your new ship put back together."

"Damn right you will," Lydana called back as she made it to the turbolift, and the two officers chuckled as the doors closed.

* * *

A few moments later, Lydana and a small team of medical officers materialised on the bridge of the _Queen Mary_ , and the Bajoran couldn't help but draw parallels to the last time she'd set foot on that same bridge.

However, this time the damage had been far more severe, with far more dead, barely functional lighting and half of the ceiling lying on the deck. Lydana ducked under some loose cabling, pointing her wrist-light around the ruined bridge, hoping to find signs of life.

"Hello?" she called out, stunned by the sound of her own voice echoing back off the walls. "Captain Tenahbi?"

"I suppose," a voice croaked from the captain's chair, "you've come to gloat?"

Lydana hurried to her side, opening her medkit as she pulled out her medical tricorder.

"Actually, I came to offer assistance," she told the stern Caitian. "I don't know if you were aware of my medical training."

"Never...been brought up," Tenahbi growled, while Lydana pulled out a dermal regenerator and began seeing to some of the open wounds. "I suppose...you want me to apologise?"

"What I _want_ is for you to hold your damn head still," she argued, pushing Tenahbi's head to one side roughly and beckoning for another officer to give her more light. She winced at the sharp movement, but was unable to glare at Lydana since she was in Tenahbi's blind spot.

"Your...bedside manner...needs work," the Caitian growled, and Lydana flicked her ear in reprimand.

"You've earned a little discomfort, I think," she said sternly. "Regardless of what you think, Tenahbi, I am not your enemy. Neither is my wife, nor any other Romulan from the Republic. I don't understand this mistrust you have of me, but we are on the same side."

Re'vah merely growled, remaining stoically silent as Lydana continued to treat more of her wounds. Eventually she folded up her tricorder and packed the medical items away, and Re'vah turned to glare at her.

"There. I've stabilised you for the time being, but I'll still need to get you to a proper sickbay. Is yours still working?"

Tenahbi nodded weakly, and Lydana pocketed her tricorder.

"Come on then, I'll escort you."

Before she could complain, Lydana had pulled her upright, resting Tenahbi's arm across her shoulders as she curled her own arm around the Caitian's waist. Before she moved away, she gave a nod to her medical team.

"Sweep the bridge for any other survivors, then get over to the starboard sections," she ordered. "That's where the wreckage hit, there could still be wounded over there."

"Aye sir," one of them replied, and she led her grumbling counterpart to the turbolift.

"If you...really want to know...my issue with you," Tenahbi said, between grunts of pain and clenched teeth, "it's because...you were far too young...for the position you held. Still little...little more than a cadet, and you...were out chasing all kinds of threats, in a two hundred year old command!" She shook her head, still letting Lydana take her weight. "Even now...you lack the experience that I...and countless other captains have trained and fought for...for _years_."

"It was hardly my choice Tenahbi," Lydana answered, recalling the day the _Steadfast_ became her command. "I was ordered to take command of the _Steadfast_ when my captain was-"

"Wait," Tenahbi said, wincing as something pulled. "The _DaVinci_ wasn't your first command?"

Lydana looked at her in surprise, then gave an amused snort.

"Read my record sometime, Tenahbi, you might understand me better." As they approached the sickbay doors, Tenahbi placed a hand against Lydana's chest in a 'wait a moment' gesture, and Lydana helped her lean against the nearby bulkhead. The Caitian fixed her with her single eye, for once not glaring and just...focussing on her.

"I cannot say I will ever like you," she stated, "and I cannot trust _any_ Romulan. I won't. But you are right...we are on the same side," she muttered, extending her hand. "And...I _do_ owe you an apology," she managed, as if the words themselves had been bitter and unpleasant.

"Thank you, Tenahbi," Lydana said, taking the offered hand and shaking it gently. "And apology accepted. Now, shall we get you inside?" She gestured to the sickbay door, and Tenahbi nodded.

"I expect...there'll be a board of inquiry, regarding my...actions here," Tenahbi mused, her voice a soft growl.

"We'll see," Lydana added, escorting her into Sickbay.

* * *

A few hours later, Lydana found herself marching formally into Vice-Admiral DeVare's office, aboard the massive _Avenger_ -class flagship _Ticonderoga._ She had a feeling what it was about, and she had been busy making sure she gave her response as clearly and confidently as possible.

"Captain, a pleasure to see you again," DeVare greeted her pleasantly, gesturing towards the small seat in front of his desk. "I'd ask what you wanted to drink, but then I wouldn't be very good at my job if I didn't already know."

He smiled disarmingly as his aide set a drink down in front of each of them, and Lydana grinned as she recognised the scent of Vulcan spiced tea.

"A fine choice, sir," she said as she took a sip, and frowned in thought. "Wait...that's...this isn't replicated, is it?"

DeVare laughed, and his aide swore under her breath.

"Too bad, Errya," he said between subsiding chuckles. "I told you, she's a scientist, she knows these things."

Lydana looked at her superior quizzically, and he chuckled again.

"Sorry, Errya bet me a week's holodeck privileges that you wouldn't taste the difference."

"I call foul, sir," the young woman complained, "you had me make it 'extra spicy', in your own words – that would instantly give it away!"

"And yet, _you_ made the wager anyway," DeVare countered. "No dice, Commander."

The dark-haired woman pouted before DeVare dismissed her, and she left the office in a good-natured huff.

"She's adorable when she pouts," he said with another laugh. "Anyway, let's go over your report, shall we?"

"As you wish, sir."

"First of all, you defied the orders of an acting superior officer because you were adamant there was a threat. Why?"

Lydana took a sip of her tea, savouring the additional spiciness and the more...substantial flavour.

"Because, sir, my ship was the closest to the anomalies and had more analytical sensors," she replied calmly. "Also, Captain Tenahbi was adamant that it was merely a sensor trick by the Romulans, and yet the Romulans have not encountered the Undine – to our knowledge – and so would have no way of accurately falsifying those readings."

"I see. Well, I have to say, Captain, you did a fine job there – making a decision to defy orders is always difficult, especially considering the embarrassment it would have caused us if you had been wrong...but I don't believe you would have acted if there was even a shred of doubt."

"I probably would have, sir," she offered, and he raised an eyebrow in question. "I would have believed that the possibility of an Undine attack was far too serious to ignore, and I would rather be embarrassed and wrong than complacent and dead."

"Very well said, Lydana, very well said. Action reports, all very standard, except...something doesn't quite match up for me."

"What would that be, sir?" she asked innocently, even though she knew _exactly_ what it was.

He picked up a PADD and gestured towards her with it as he spoke, his face stern.

"This is Captain Myrryn's report, and in it she paints a very different picture of captain tenahbi's actions. She has said that Tenahbi was 'stubborn to the point of homicide' about staying where they were, and yet you said...?"

"That she was biding her time and that her arrival turned the tide of the battle," Lydana finished, recalling her own words from her report, and she jumped when DeVare slammed the PADD down on his desk.

"Bullshit," he said flatly, his eyes full of anger. "I cannot have a captain under me who will not give me an accurate report of the facts," he seethed. "Tell me why you have seen fit to keep Tenahbi from the court-marshall she so clearly deserves, and why I shouldn't demote you to commanding a spare parts hauler in the middle of nowhere."

Lydana swallowed, considering the words she had prepared for the moment.

"If I may speak freely and off the record?"

DeVare gave her a choppy nod, not taking his eyes from her.

"You told me before we came out here that Intelligence tends to fast-track the careers of captains it approves of. If you continue to approve of my work, I'll be one of them, which means that in a few months or a year, I'll be a rear admiral. Admirals who take the front line are rare, but less so these days, but when they do it's usually as CO of a task force. If that is to be me, I want to make sure I have my pick of the best officers for various roles, and despite her flaws – and they are many and varied – Captain Tenahbi is a tenacious, relentless combat captain. I've read her file – it reads more like a Klingon than a Federation officer, and in times like these that's what we need – warriors. By all means, punish her however you see fit...but I'm asking you, let me have her as my flag captain."

DeVare sat there, glaring at her intently, until she noticed the tremble of his shoulders and the quirk of his mouth. Eventually he lost control and burst out laughing again, a full, rolling laugh, and he pointed at her breathlessly.

"Dammit, Lydana, you're too good at this!" He drank half of his beverage in a single swallow, using it to regain some of his composure. "Damn, you are smart, girl. Very smart. And this is why I wanted a scientist in a command position, because you see things differently to other people. You're right, of course – eventually you _will_ make Rear Admiral, and soon if I have my way – the reports of your actions from the Romulan perspective continue to cite your bravery and skill, even allowing for your wife's obvious bias. Oh wait, she's _not_ biased, because everything she's ever listed in her reports about you are perfectly accurate."

Lydana blushed, albeit far lighter than usual, and she smiled at him.

"Obviously we can't let Tenahbi get off scott-free," he continued, "so we'll just have her 'suspended pending investigation' for now, that way she can be tapped when – _when_ – you get your next promotion."

"Thank you for understanding, sir...and for the compliments," she said softly," and he waved the thanks away.

"Don't thank me, Lydana, just keep making sure this faith in you isn't misplaced. You're a damn fine officer, and we need officers like you out there causing havoc for the enemies of the Federation. Besides, you've built a solid bridge for us with the Romulans, and that also can't be ignored." He took a deep breath, shaking his head at Lydana in amazement. "You know, I think you'll be one of the youngest Rear Admirals on record? How old are you now?"

"Twenty-eight, sir."

"In _Earth_ years."

"Oh, er..." she quickly worked it out in her head. "Twenty-three."

"Shit!" he exclaimed, with another laugh. "Yes, definitely the youngest. Anyway, no doubt you'll be wanting to go and see your wife? I've heard she's recovering well, and is threatening to come over and start up-ending everything here until she finds you."

Lydana gave a small laugh of her own, and nodded firmly.

"That's my wife through and through, but yes. As soon as I'm dismissed, I'll be heading over there to see her."

"Well then, don't let me keep you," DeVare said with a smile. "Dismissed, Captain. And well done for today."

"Thank you sir." She stood up and saluted sharply, before marching out of his office and down the corridor, unable to keep the spring from her step as she found out a little more of her future.

She might actually make something of her career after all...


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: As per usual, many thanks to my long-suffering friend, reviewer and occasional research monkey, Kretolus, who has offered many fine nuggets of information and helped me sharpen things up a little. Also thanks to tremor3258 for the frequent reviews and support - it's greatly appreciated.**

* * *

Lydana poked unhappily at her food, unable to take her eyes from her wife across the small table. She'd been invited over to Loraya's ship, and even after several hours the damage done by the Undine had been obvious. Apart from the damage outside, several corridors bore the scars of defensive actions – something Lydana had more experience in than she preferred.

The worst thing, however, had been seeing her wife's most glaring injury – a trio of narrow scars ran diagonally down the right side of Loraya's face, from just under her brow ridge to halfway down her cheek, narrowly missing her eye.

The Romulan looked up from her meal, catching Lydana staring, and she set her fork down gently.

"Dana, I promise you, I'm _fine,_ " she stressed, an exasperated smile on her face. "I didn't suffer that badly, all things considered."

"I know, but..." Lydana sighed and put her fork down completely. "Raya, you can't honestly think you're the only protective one in this relationship. Remember, you aren't just my wife, you're the first relationship I have _ever_ had, and knowing what you faced is...it's still hard to bear."

Loraya nodded, her smile fading slowly as she met Lydana's eyes again.

"I know love, and I'm sorry. If there had been any way to avoid it, I would have, but-"

Lydana stopped her with a raised hand, shaking her head.

"You don't have to justify yourself to me, Raya," she insisted, "just...be careful in future."

There was a tense silence between the two of them for a moment, until Lydana spoke again, her attention on Loraya's wound.

"Anyway, who tended that for you? It looks like it was fixed by someone with more skill _inflicting_ damage than fixing it."

Loraya laughed at that, nodding quickly.

"Sadly, Tovan lacks your skill with a dermal regenerator," she chuckled, and Lydana tutted at her.

"Well, before I leave here, I'm fixing that for you. No arguments. If I have to look at that horrid scar, then the least I can do is make it a bit more presentable for you."

Loraya snorted with amusement, and both of them resumed their meal. They continued to eat in a comfortable silence for a few minutes, before Loraya broke the quiet once more.

"Any idea where you're getting deployed after this?"

Lydana shook her head, taking a sip of her drink before answering.

"Nothing specific. Or at least, nothing specific I can tell you. All I can say is that I'm being deployed to the front line against the Klingon advancement."

"Ah, of course. I just wondered, since you were visiting your admiral."

"Oh! No, that was regarding a, um...a 'report discrepancy' of mine."

Loraya looked incredulous, finishing the last of her meal and staring at Lydana for a moment.

"You, a report discrepancy? Are you serious?"

Lydana nodded again, attempting to work out just how to tell her wife that she'd lied to her commanding officer.

"I may have offered an...alternative view on certain facts."

"You lied."

"No! Well...maybe a little. But I had good reason!"

Loraya didn't appear convinced, and Lydana sighed.

"Look, have you ever met Captain Tenahbi?"

Loraya's eyes narrowed in thought.

"The...tall Caitian with an attitude problem?"

"That's her."

"Yes, I met her briefly at the party. She was...less than pleased to make my acquaintance."

"She's like that with everyone, I think," Lydana explained, "but aside from that she is a very fierce and capable combatant. I didn't lie so much as offer an alternative view of her actions, so that she wouldn't get kicked out of Starfleet."

"Why?" Loraya asked, clearly baffled by the act. "The woman's virtually insane!"

"Because when I get promoted – and I will, apparently, if Admiral DeVare's comments were anything to go by – then I want her on my task force."

Loraya shook her head in disbelief, and sat back in her chair with her arms crossed.

"I can't say I approve, my sweet," she sighed, "but I trust your instincts. Possibly more than anyone else. I just hope you made the right call."

"I'm certain of it," Lydana stated, exuding a confidence that Loraya had never seen. "Now, there isn't a lot of time before I need to get back, so what say we see to your scars and then go to bed for an hour?"

Loraya raised an eyebrow at Lydana's seductive tone, and the Bajoran merely gave her wife a wicked grin.

"That...sounds positively delightful, actually," the Romulan answered, pushing her chair back from the table. "Get a move on, I want to pull your clothes off as soon as possible."

Both of them hurried out of the door, giggling like children as they marched down the warbird's corridors towards sickbay.

* * *

After the first day of exercises was interrupted by Undine, the subsequent days passed uneventfully. Out of a further five combat exercises, the Federation won two and lost two, with the fifth being declared a loss for both sides. Too many ships had 'died' on either side, rendering the objective incomplete and no longer worth taking, and so overall the event had been declared a draw. The flotilla returned to New Romulus, where the admirals of both sides met once more and re-affirmed their commitments to each other, and several bonds of mutual respect were forged over those days.

Lydana and her wife, on the other hand, simply used the opportunity to steal as much time together as possible, although a particular incident involving both women, the embassy fountain and a distinct lack of clothing almost caused DeVare to faint with shock.

As soon as the wargames were over, however, the Starfleet vessels were instantly deployed to other conflict zones, and the _Banshee_ took her place patrolling the front lines along the border of Klingon space, and providing science support to the more combat-orientated ships in the region.

For six months Lydana led her crew to victory, through no less than twelve separate engagements against the forces of the Klingon Empire. On more than one occasion she personally co-ordinated the defence of her ship against Klingon boarders, and her actions saved hundreds of lives across several different vessels.

However, such a legacy had a price. Ensign Treleya, among several other members of the _Banshee_ 's crew, had to be transferred to a medical vessel and taken back to a Starbase deep in Federation space, due to the extent of the injuries they suffered. Olan and Ryan vowed to continue their service _despite_ the injuries they suffered, and even Zarva was wounded in action again, helping Anari seal a warp core breach that nearly destroyed half the ship.

By the time the _Banshee_ was recalled to Earth for some much-needed repairs fresh crew, Lydana had presided over the funerals of far too many good officers, with only regular letters from Loraya helping her remain calm and collected.

It had been a long and arduous deployment, but now Lydana and her crew could get some hard-earned leave, to recover and to mourn the loss of friends. The young Bajoran was considering a trip to Risa, the famed resort world where – it seemed – half of Starfleet went on vacation, but she decided New Romulus would be a better option – either her wife would be there, and she could spend more quality time with her, or Loraya would be deployed elsewhere, and Lydana would instead enjoy the scenery of her adopted home.

"Captain, there's a message coming in for you, from vice-Admiral DeVare," her current comm officer announced, and Lydana sighed as she struggled to recall his name. Prophets, she was tired...

"Onscreen."

The screen lit with the familiar face of her commanding officer, and he gave her a soft smile that seemed tinged with melancholy.

"Welcome back, Captain," he told her softly, "I see the front line was...a little rough on you."

Lydana gave an amused snort, smiling lopsidedly.

"You should see the other guy, sir," she told him, and DeVare chuckled.

"Yes, I've heard you made something of a reputation for yourself out there, among _both_ sides."

"Well, I had a damn fine crew, sir," she answered, deflecting the praise back to where she felt it was deserved.

"And they had a damn fine captain," DeVare said firmly. "Don't sell yourself short, your actions were just as important."

Lydana nodded, giving the officer an embarrassed smile.

"Thank you, sir. I take it you received my reports?"

"Ah, yes, I did, and that was why I needed to speak to you," he said, suddenly becoming more serious. "I'll need to see you in my office as soon as your ship has been taken to the dockyard. I'm afraid it won't just be the dock workers that will have their hands full for the next few months."

"Oh?" Lydana's eyes narrowed in suspicion, and she recognised the mischievous glint in his eyes as she spoke.

"Indeed. Come and see me once you've docked, we have a lot to discuss."

"As you say, sir. I should be with you in about an hour."

"Very good. See you then, Captain. DeVare, out."

The screen blanked again, and Lydana shook her head. She felt like she should be remembering something that she and DeVare talked about, but fatigue robbed her of the relevant memory.

"Ryan, have we got docking permission?"

"Aye ma'am," her pilot replied, his voice strained from residual pain. He'd only recently had chance to get his injuries seen to properly, and he still wasn't able to sit completely straight. "We're headed for dry dock three. We should be there in just under four minutes."

"Excellent work as always, Ryan," she told him, before tapping a command into the console beside her.

"All hands, this is the Captain," she announced, the computer relaying her voice to every deck. "We will shortly be arriving at Earth Spacedock for repairs, but they are estimated to take a while. In the meantime, all crew will be given leave for the duration, so go home, see family and friends, loved ones...whoever or whatever you need. You've earned this, and I couldn't have asked for a finer crew. Each and every one of you have made me extremely proud, and it has been an honour to be your captain. Whatever happens after today, know that you all have my eternal gratitude and admiration, and I am humbled by the support you have given me in making this ship a credit to Starfleet. Be safe, all of you."

As soon as she'd finished her address, she stood up and looked around at her bridge crew – the people who had been carrying out her orders for the past six months, and people she'd come to know, to rely on...to care about. As with any captain before her, the crew of her ship had become almost an extended family, and she'd meant it when she had told them she couldn't wish for a finer crew.

She heaved a deep sigh, strangely certain that while the _Banshee_ was being repaired she would be reassigned to another ship. Starfleet didn't let its officers get bored, and Lydana had apparently gained the interest of her superiors.

 _Oh well,_ she thought idly, as she looked at the dock growing larger on the viewscreen, _I guess I'll find out what DeVare wants soon enough._

"I mean it, people," she told her bridge officers. "Thank you – all of you – for all of your work."

Ryan turned in his chair, offering his captain his most charming smile.

"Thank _you_ , Captain," he said warmly, "for always giving nothing less than your best, and for bringing us home."

Several members of the bridge crew echoed his sentiment, and Lydana felt her cheeks heat under the praise. She had done nothing worthy of note, she was certain, and she knew there would be fresh nightmares waiting for her when she next slept.

But...she _had_ brought them home in the end, and that was something to be proud of. She'd served well since her promotion to Captain, she thought, and she was looking forward to a well-earned rest of her own.

However, she was not going to get it – or at least, not the one she had hoped for.

* * *

Lydana stepped out of the turbolift and marched towards Vice-Admiral DeVare's office, still sure she was forgetting something important. The Admiral had hinted at...something, and it felt like she was meant to remember what it was, but she simply couldn't at all.

Her musing kept her occupied all the way to the office in question, and she made herself known to the Admiral's aide as soon as she arrived. A moment later, the young woman escorted her in, and she saluted smartly...then paused, as she noticed Admiral Quinn standing at her commander's shoulder.

"Admiral Quinn, sir, this is...it's quite a surprise, sir," she stammered, taken aback by his presence, and DeVare chuckled.

"I'm sure it is, Lydana, but I knew he would have wanted to see this moment," the Vice-Admiral said as he rose from his chair, passing a small box to the white-haired Trill. "I'm afraid, Miss Kassai, I'm going to need your Captain's pips."

Lydana looked horrified, fighting the sting of tears as she attempted to get her voice to work again.

"W...what? Why?" she managed, her voice scarcely above a whisper, and DeVare looked at her in confusion.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten our conversation, Lydana?"

"Be fair, Austin," Quinn told him with a light chuckle of his own, "that _was_ six months ago. The poor girl has been on the front fighting Klingons since then, I don't think she can remember what happened a week ago, let alone six months."

"That...would be a fair assumption, sir," Lydana said, frowning at the tremble of her voice. "What is this about?"

DeVare sighed, attempting to school his expression into one more serious, but failing.

"I apologise, Lydana, I thought you'd remember. After that fight against the Undine, during the exercises with the Romulans, you and I had a little frank discussion. Do you remember that?"

"I...vaguely, sir, but-"

"I need your Captain's pips, Lydana, so I can replace them with these."

He gestured to Quinn, who opened the small box and showed its contents to the Bajoran.

They were two small gold pips, surrounded by a gold square, set on a black background. The rank insignia of a Rear Admiral.

Lydana was speechless, her cheeks reddening with embarrassment as she suddenly remembered the conversation, and her hands shook as she began removing the four pips on her collar.

"Kassai Lydana," DeVare said formally, standing directly in front of her, "for exemplary service to Starfleet, for your loyalty and dedication and your commitment to your crew, it is with great pleasure that I bestow upon you the rank of Rear Admiral, with all the rights and privileges it entails."

Lydana stood still as Quinn fixed the insignia to her collar, one on each side, and once he was done the young Bajoran took a deep, shuddering breath...and was amazed at how heavy such a rank could feel. It wasn't a physical weight, of course, but the weight of the new responsibility she held, but instead of feeling burdened by it she felt herself stand a little straighter – rising to meet the challenge.

"Congratulations, Lydana," Quinn told her, shaking her hand firmly. "I always knew you could go far, even without these jokers guiding you."

"With respect sir, these 'jokers' have given me a lot," she answered with a smile, "I'm a little defensive of them for that."

"Careful, Jorel," DeVare warned Quinn, his grin broadening, "I hear bad things happen to people who cross our Lydana when she's like this. Did you hear about that incident with the _Khnial_?"

"Indeed I did, and point taken," Quinn laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender.

"Oh, I wouldn't worry gentlemen," said another voice from the office doorway, one which caused Lydana's eyes to widen. "She only gets _really_ dangerous when I'm the one under threat."

She whipped around, her eyes meeting those of her cherished wife, wearing an updated uniform of her own. Alongside her standard uniform, she now bore two segmented shoulder guards of deep crimson, edged in gold, a trail of cloth hanging from the back of each shoulder that reached almost to her feet.

"Raya!"

Lydana, forgetting any sense of decorum required by her rank, ran to Loraya and threw her arms around the Romulan, pulling her into a passionate kiss instantly. They only parted when the two admirals cleared their throats diplomatically, now feeling slightly awkward.

"Before you ask, Lydana, we invited your wife her for two reasons," DeVare explained. "One, because we knew how proud she would be at your achievement, and that she'd want to be here-"

"Which is true, and which I appreciate," Loraya added, with a small bow, and DeVare continued.

"Secondly, because we thought she might be the best person to deal with the reporters as we escort you to your new ship and your temporary office."

"Wait, what? Reporters? Office?" Lydana looked at both men in confusion, still clutching Loraya's hand, and DeVare nodded.

"Of course. Don't forget, you are now the youngest Starfleet officer ever to make the Admiralty, and there will be reporters around wanting to get some of that story. As for the temporary office, your new ship is not completely finished – at Intelligence we give our officers a degree of flexibility with loadouts for their ships, so it's _mostly_ finished, she's just waiting on your decisions. Which means-"

"I'll be stationed at the dockyard until it's completed."

"Correct. Well sir," DeVare said to Quinn, "if it's okay with you I'd like to take our newest Admiral to see her new ship."

"Oh of course," Quinn said, sounding slightly bitter, "I forgot, us mere mortals aren't allowed near the Intelligence shipyards. Until next time, Lydana," he told the Bajoran, shaking her hand gently once more before taking his leave.

"That means I'll have to leave you once we reach the shuttlebay, my sweet," Loraya said sadly. "But no doubt we'll be in each other's space again soon."

"Count on it," Lydana told her, and DeVare gestured for the two of them to follow him as he led the way.

* * *

True to her word, Loraya had departed once they reached the shuttle bay, and Lydana had been saddened to see her leave for obvious reasons. However, she'd barely said goodbye when she was ushered into a sleek, dark-hulled runabout and flown at maximum warp to the secretive Intelligence dockyard.

As Lydana looked out from the cabin she caught sight of the flat, sleek form of another _Scryer_ , held in the encompassing arms of the vast, floating dock. She shivered in anticipation of commanding such an advanced vessel, and the thought of actually having a hand in her weapon loadout made her excited. She'd heard of some fascinating developments being made by the Romulans, and she wanted to take advantage of them.

"What's her name?" she asked excitedly, and DeVare smiled to himself as he adjusted their course.

"Like the weapons and crew, that's up to you," he told her, guiding the small vessel towards a docking bay. "It's all part of the autonomy and freedom we like to give our captains."

She could pick the _crew_ as well? Now that was something she didn't expect, but she supposed it made sense – the Admiralty were famous for moving officers around in accordance with the needs of the service, and she had a fair idea of at least some officers she definitely wanted.

She gazed out at the dark ship, sleek and menacing despite being a science vessel at heart, and she grinned as a name occurred to her.

" _Shadow of Bajor_ ," she half-whispered, giving a shallow nod to no-one in particular as she decided the name felt right. She had briefly considered naming it after Loraya, but she thought that was just a little too vain.

Eventually they neared a docking bay, and her new command passed out of sight. She sighed wistfully, wondering just what was going to be in store for her now that she was a flag officer, although she was certain her superiors wouldn't keep her behind a desk for long. For now, though, she was just getting used to her new position, her mind already reeling with the possibilities that lay before her.


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N: Thanks as usual to Kretolus, for his constant support, and this time for the use of his character (who shall appear in person next chapter.) Either next chapter or the one after it will be the end of this current story, so I hope you're prepared for that!**

 **Also, many thanks to Tremor3258 again for also constant support, and morale-boosting reviews :D check both of these people out, their stories are awesome!**

* * *

As she sat in her temporary office, surrounded by a variety of PADDs and with a window overlooking her new ship to her right, Lydana wondered how any Admiral in a similar situation got any actual work done. Between vetting crew choices, planning weapon loadouts, and constantly having to remind the 'yard-dogs' that the Admiralty wanted her back in space sometime this century, she was finding it difficult to get any one task completed. At least she was finally starting to make progress on the choices for her task force, and she was expecting to meet with the first of those captains in a few moments.

She set another PADD down and walked over to her replicator, kneading her temple as she felt the first stirrings of a headache spreading through her head. She hadn't slept well, still wracked by nightmares from the front lines of the Klingon conflict, and then she'd been woken earlier than usual by some idiot at the dock who had wanted to know what colour she wanted the carpet in her quarters. She'd sworn at him in Bajoran, cut the channel and then sworn some more as she staggered out of bed, putting her in a sour mood right at the start of the day.

Although, her first meeting was likely to change that.

She took her seat, sipping the spiced tea she'd just acquired, and tapped a few notes into her desktop terminal before the door chime sounded.

"Enter," she called without looking up, and she sensed the person stride in, stop at her desk and salute sharply.

Lydana chuckled as she looked up at the redhead, and set her drink on the desk.

"At ease, Lise, please," she said, gesturing to the chair opposite her, and her old friend seemed to hesitate before sitting down.

"Drink, Commander?"

"No, thank you...uh...sir," Elisa managed, and Lydana frowned.

"You aren't going all formal on me as well, are you Lise? I may be an admiral, but I'm still your friend."

"I suppose someone has to remind you where you came from," Elisa replied with a grin, and Lydana shook her head.

"Believe me, I remember all too well where I came from – a scared little girl, fresh out of the Academy, without the first clue how to handle the situation she was faced with. Even now I wonder just how much has really changed."

"From where I'm sitting, I'd say a hell of a lot," Elisa told her firmly. "You've got to remember Lyddie, you may have become Lieutenant by necessity, but you made Admiral on your own. Okay, so you've been fast-tracked by Intelligence a bit, but even so it was only a matter of time."

"I guess we'll never know now," Lydana said quietly, toying with the handle of her mug. "Anyway, how have you been? Are you still with the _Tigris_?"

A look of sadness crossed her friend's face, and she looked away from Lydana as she responded.

"Not anymore. She was crippled beyond repair out near the Hromi Cluster, caught between a plasma storm and a Klingon attack force. In the end I had to set the self-destruct...about a third of my crew never made it off."

"Prophets, Lise, I am so sorry," Lydana whispered, reaching out to her friend across the table. Elisa took her hand, thankful for even that small gesture of comfort, until eventually she seemed to push it to the back of her mind again.

"Well, I can't dwell on it – doctor's orders," she said, forcing a smile, and sitting up straighter in her chair. "So anyway, what did you need me for?"

Lydana frowned and sorted through the multitude of PADDs scattered across her desk, until she found the one she was after. She spent a moment double-checking some information on it, then nodded to herself.

"Ah, yes, here it is – sorry, that was my fault. I've just had so much to look over, and...anyway. I _was_ going to offer you a slot in my task force, but...look, I know you've just been commanding your own ship, and I know that's something else entirely, but...well-"

"Oh for God's sake, Lyddie, spit it out!" Elisa laughed, and Lydana tried to keep the blush from her cheeks.

"Sorry...well...would you like to be my First Officer again? I'll understand if you say no-"

"I'd love to," Elisa stated, her smile much more genuine, and Lydana beamed back at her.

"Excellent! I guess...well, I guess _I'll_ get the ball rolling on that, since I don't think I need to pass it up the chain of command much. It'll be good to have you back at my right hand, Lise."

"It'll be good to be there, ma'am," the redhead replied with a laugh, and Lydana gave her a playful glare.

"You watch it, missy, or-"

"You'll put me out an airlock?"

"Exactly!" The two women laughed at the shared joke, until eventually Lydana sobered with a sigh. "Anyway Lise, I'd love to keep you around to chat, but I've got about a thousand things to do today and not enough time to do them, so for now you're dismissed," she told her friend, who instantly pushed herself to her feet and came to attention. "Oh, and...welcome to the _Shadow of Bajor_."

Elisa raised an eyebrow at that but declined to make any further comment, instead simply smiling at her friend before saluting once more and marching out of the small office.

* * *

"I don't understand the problem."

The young Rigelian Ensign Lydana was talking to quailed under her gaze, his response tumbling out in a rush.

"W-well, ma'am - sir - I-I just don't know h-how feasible it will, um...be." His voice trailed off at the end, unused to talking to Admirals in person, especially when said Admiral was giving him a stare that could melt neutronium. As far as he knew, she was younger than he was, but she had a fire in her eyes that belied her youth.

"It's quite simple," Lydana explained, never once raising her voice but still projecting a calm air of authority, "contact the Romulan Command, and tell them that Kassai Lydana has put in a request for the weapons. They should know of me by one of two ways, and either one should be sufficient to get clearance. Either way..." she leaned in closer to him, finishing her sentence slowly. "I want those hybrid beam arrays."

He gave her a choppy nod before scurrying away to comply with her instructions, and the Bajoran shook her head as she pulled out her PADD.

The Romulan hybrid beam arrays were relatively new, combining the effects of plasma and disruptor weapons, and being new they were also almost impossible to get outside of the Republic. However, Lydana was confident that her reputation with the Republic – as the Starfleet officer who married one of their own, and who helped to begin the settling of New Romulus – would be enough to sway the Republic High Command on this occasion. She looked up as another dockyard officer called out to her, and she sighed inwardly. It was going to be one of those days, she was certain.

After fielding queries about the possibility of swapping her choice of chroniton torpedoes for quantum torpedoes, which were easier to acquire and far less labour-intensive (a request she denied – she wanted chroniton torpedoes, and by the Prophets she would have them) Lydana's commbadge chirrupped at her, and for once she welcomed the interruption.

"Kassai, go," she declared, still not used to her new rank.

" _Admiral, we have a Lieutenant here who says he was requested by you,"_ the voice on the comm told her, and Lydana smiled. _"He doesn't have any clearance, but-"_

"That's fine, Tohra, I did request his presence," she informed the officer, "if you could escort him to my ready room please, that would be appreciated."

" _Of course, Admiral. Tohra out."_

Lydana made her way towards the ready room of her new ship, since she had other duties to tend to after her visitor left anyway, and planned just what she was going to say.

* * *

"Damn, you Intelligence types get the best of everything!" Ryan exclaimed, staring at amazement at everything around him. "I mean, have you _seen_ this ship? It's amazing!"

Lydana chuckled at her former helmsman, moving to greet him warmly as he entered the ready room.

"Yes, Ryan, I kind of did."

"I- oh, right, sorry ma'am," he said sheepishly. "I suppose you did. How have you been, ma'am? A big shot Admiral now, eh?"

"Not such a 'big shot', but yes, it appears so," she told him with a smile. "Coffee?"

"No thanks, ma'am. After a week of _real_ coffee, I don't think I'm ready to go back on replicated stuff just yet. Um...if I may ask, ma'am, why did you ask me here?"

"Of course, sorry, I got sidetracked," Lydana replied, picking up another PADD and perching on the edge of her desk. "Have you been given a new assignment yet?"

"Not yet, but I think Captain Myrryn wanted me to helm for her. Why?"

"Is that where you want to be? Flying a _Nebula_?"

"Hell no!" he scoffed. "I was spoiled when they gave me the helm of the _Banshee_ , those _Intrepid_ ships are something else. But still, I take what I can get."

Lydana made a small noise of acknowledgment, then grinned at the Lieutenant.

"Well then, how about you come and fly for me instead?"

Ryan's eyes went wide with surprise, his expression one of shocked joy.

"Are you serious? You want _me_...to fly _this_ thing? Who do I have to kill for that opportunity?"

Lydana laughed, patting his shoulder as she passed him the PADD she'd been holding.

"Not necessary, Ryan, although I'm sure Captain Myrryn will want to kill _me_ for stealing you. But I want the best on this ship, and you've proven yourself to be reliable on a number of occasions. If you want the job, I'll make sure you get it."

"I want it," Ryan stated firmly, without hesitation. "I absolutely want it."

"Excellent!" Lydana stood up again, extending her hand to Ryan, and he took it gladly. "Good to have you back with me, Ryan. I'll get in touch with Admiral DeVare later, make sure he knows I'm stealing you, then I expect you'll get fresh orders when I do. Until then...take it easy, Mister Cobham."

Ryan gave her a jaunty salute, grinning at her as he did.

"Aye aye, ma'am!" Lydana waved him out of her ready room, turning back to her desk where yet more work awaited, and settled into her chair to start tackling it. She was beginning to get the impression DeVare had an assignment for her, and that meant she needed to work harder to get the _Shadow of Bajor_ ready for deployment.

* * *

Time seemed to pass in a blur for the young Admiral, as she drove herself – and the yard crews – harder than ever to get her new ship space-worthy. With the Republic agreeing to give her access to the hybrid beam arrays, it didn't take long for her to get everything else to fall into place. In her search to rebuild her original crew, she found that Zarva had actually been reassigned to Research and Development, Treleya was still recovering from her injuries, and Nazan had been made Chief Tactical Officer on the _Banshee_. To that end, she'd chosen Anari as her Chief of Engineering, she'd located now-Lieutenant Commanmder Rhobas for her own Tactical officer, and she'd even found Elisa's former first officer – her other surviving friend from the Academy, T'Vrell.

With her crew finalised and weapons fitted at last, all that she was waiting for was fresh orders – and they were not far behind.

Lydana woke with an irritated growl, having only just gotten to sleep, and she pulled on a nightgown as she stormed over to the terminal beeping irately at her. She stabbed the 'accept' key furiously, and the small screen lit with DeVare's face. Normally she would have been glad to see her superior, since it meant orders, but she hated his sense of timing.

 _"Sorry Lydana, did I wake you?"_ he asked, and she suppressed the urge to point out how stupid that question was.

"Yes," she snapped, adding a muttered "sir" more as an afterthought. "What can I do for you?"

 _"I have the ideal shake-down cruise for you,"_ he told her, _"a quick and easy mission just to get settled in. I need you to head to the Gasko system, and rendezvous with the_ Relentless _there. She picked up a survivor from the Tal Shiar, but Commander O'Neil is needed elsewhere – I want you to pick up the survivor and take her home to her colony."_

Lydana fought the urge to sigh. 'Quick and easy' was not what she signed up for, and babysitting was hardly a task befitting a ship like the _Shadow_ , but she supposed it couldn't hurt to have a chance to work out any bugs before anything dangerous happened.

"Doesn't sound overly difficult, sir, I think we can manage it," Lydana told the Admiral, blinking owlishly against the glare of the screen. "I take you want us to set off in the morning?"

 _"No, actually – this mission could still be more sensitive than it seems, and I don't want the_ Relentless _to be turned into a Tal Shiar target. You can handle it, however, so I want you in-system soon as possible – your crew has already been informed, they're reporting aboard ship as we speak. I want you to be ready to depart in two hours. Any problems?"  
_  
She wanted to tell him that she was exhausted and weary, having run herself ragged trying to get the ship and crew organised, but she had no doubt that DeVare – and indeed, most admirals – had been in a similar situation.

"No sir, no problems," she told him, giving up on the idea of sleep for now. "I'll get ready and report to the _Shadow_."

 _"Excellent, I knew I could count on you Lydana. We're getting your task force together now, but I thought this would be a good chance for you to get to grips with your new ship's capabilities. I'll expect a full report when you're done, as usual. DeVare, out."_

Lydana swore in Bajoran, shedding her nightgown as she headed for the shower. As this was her first mission as an Admiral, she was damn well going to look fresh and ready, no matter how she felt.

She just hoped that for once, it would remain as simple as it sounded.


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N: This turned out to be immensely enjoyable to write - mainly because of the interaction between Lydana and the gratuitous cameo, Eilis O'Neil, the star of 'Command Collapse' by my good friend Kretolus. Seriously, go read it, it's awesome!**

 **Anyway, a fellow writer's character turn up meant we had to essentially roleplay the conversation, which quite frankly was great fun. I hope it translates to an enjoyable chapter for you guys!**

* * *

Lydana strode through the decks of her new ship like an Emperor, surveying all that she owned with a critical eye. One thing was for certain – Intelligence vessels were not crewed by idiots. Every department she passed through, every crew member she passed was working at peak efficiency, and she had never been on a ship so...alive.  
She hid a smile as some of the lower-ranking crewmen attempted to appear more busy than they actually were, and while she admired their determination she hoped their exuberance wouldn't cause mistakes. Like them, she was just there to do a job – she just had a lot more authority.

"You're trying not to smile again."

"I have no idea what you mean, Commander," she told the tall redhead at her side, at the same time failing to hide her grin. "Oh come on, Lise, can you blame me? Look at this ship!"

"I have," Elisa replied, with somewhat less awe than her friend, "and I have to admit, she's a beauty. Not a patch on a _Vesta_ , mind, but she'll do."

"You keep insulting the _Shadow_ like that, Commander, and you'll find yourself sucking vacuum before we break dock!"

The two women chuckled as they entered a turbolift, ordering it to the bridge as the doors closed. Elisa took the opportunity to have a closer look at her friend, and she was quietly stunned by the changes that had occurred to the young Bajoran. She stood straighter than before, confidence and experience giving her posture a strength she'd lacked before. She bore new scars, and there was a darkness in her eyes that hinted at a pain for lost lives that would always haunt her, and yet she still looked so much more than she had been.

"You're staring, Lise."

Elisa stopped gazing at her friend, even as she noticed the fresh confidence in her voice as well, and she shook her head with a smile.

"Sorry Lyddie," she said, not feeling overly apologetic. "I'm just amazed at how far you've come...and I hope one day I can achieve half of what you have."

"Don't be ridiculous, Lise, I've achieved very little," Lydana countered, and Elisa almost choked.

"Says the twenty-three year old woman who is now the youngest member of the Admiralty on record, commanding one of the most advanced vessels in Starfleet, with a handpicked crew and state-of-the-art weapons, on a variety of top secret or high-risk missions."

Lydana sighed as the turbolift began to slow, and she looked up at her friend.

"When you put it like that, Elisa," she soberly, standing a little straighter and looking ahead again, "you may have a point."

* * *

The two women walked out onto the bridge, and Elisa flinched as one of the crewmen announced loudly, "Admiral on deck!"

"I never got that on the _Tigris_ ," Elisa said quietly, wiggling a finger in her ear in an exaggerated manner, and Lydana gave her a broad smile.

"You get used to it. As you were, people."

As the crew returned to their duties, the two commanding officers took their seats in the middle of the bridge, Lydana tucking the trailing ends of her uniform jacket against her legs as she settled slowly into the chair.

"All stations, report," she announced, and instantly the reports began coming in.

"Helm is ready on your order, ma'am, no engine issues."

"Tactical is ready, sir," Rhobas stated almost cheerfully. "The new beam arrays have been integrated into our fire control system with minimal difficulties."

"Communications stand ready, Admiral." T'Vrell, as cool and formal as ever, sounded almost proud as she made her report – but obviously, that couldn't _possibly_ be the case.

"Ops is green across the board, sir."

Then came the additional report, the one she had almost forgotten.

"Intelligence operations, ready."

As an Intelligence vessel, there were certain systems available to the ships used by that organisation that were never seen among standard Starfleet vessels. The Intel systems involved a much more focussed sensor array, tied to a probe swarm package that could actively scan for weaknesses in certain key systems of enemy vessels, allowing for precision targeting and the ability to exploit those weaknesses.  
Her Intelligence officer was a Lissepian woman by the name of Katura, whose demeanor was almost Vulcan-esque – cold and often aloof, although she still respected Lydana's rank.

The Ops officer, another Andorian, looked up with an additional report.

"All other departments are reporting ready, sir, we can leave whenever you're ready."

Lydana took a deep breath, savouring the scent of a brand new bridge, allowing herself a small smile as she gave her first official order as an Admiral.

"Number One, get us ready to depart, if you would."

Elisa stood up again instantly, turning to T'Vrell first.

"T'Vrell, request permission to depart from Dock Control please. Mister Teshar, ensure the shuttle bay is closed and all small craft are locked down."

"Docking Control has granted us permission to depart, Commander," T'Vrell reported calmly, and Teshar quickly reported back that the shuttle bay was secured.

"Excellent. Mister Cobham, take us out at one half thrusters until we clear dock, then set course for the Gasko system."

"Aye aye ma'am, heading out at dock speed until we clear."

A shiver of excitement ran through Lydana as she felt the shift of energy within the ship, sensing it begin moving in response to Ryan's command. At last, her new command was no longer just a concept – it was a single, coherent entity, ready and eager to be about its duty.  
She eventually detected the change from thrusters to impulse, as they cleared the dock boundary and altered course towards their destination.

"What speed should I set ma'am?" Ryan asked, turning to face Elisa, who in turn looked to Lydana.

"Why don't we see how well the Slipstream Drive works, hm?"

Ryan grinned with undisguised pleasure, and spun his chair back to his console.

"Yes ma'am, bringing the Slipstream Drive online now!"

Elisa sat back down, her eyes wide.

"This ship has a _Slipstream Drive_?" she asked in a half-whisper, and Lydana laughed at her friend's shock.

"Of course, most modern ships do," she told the redhead, who simply pouted in annoyance.

"The _Tigris_ wasn't _that_ old, for God's sake," she muttered, and Lydana merely laughed again.

"Engaging Slipstream Drive," Ryan announced, and the engine tone dropped rapidly into a much deeper note as the ship surged forwards. Although the power drain of the Slipstream Drive meant that it couldn't be used indefinitely, its faster-than-warp speeds meant that it could cover a vast distance in a small amount of time.

"Do you know much about who we're rendezvousing with?" Lydana asked Elisa, striking up conversation as the rest of the bridge crew kept to their tasks. Elisa shook her head, and Lydana continued.

"I looked up Commander O'Neil's file earlier. Took command of the _Relentless_ after a situation not so different from our own. Her ship was attacked by Borg during the defence of Vega – which surprised me, I didn't think anyone else had been close enough to assist – but the command crew were all killed in the defence of the ship. She ended up taking command and rallying the rest of the defenders, and eventually managed to retake the ship, although not without significant losses. However, she got her crew and her ship home, she shot through the ranks from Ensign to Commander in a pretty short time, and apparently she inspires a lot of loyalty in her crew."

"You admire her." It was a statement, not a question, and Lydana nodded.

"Of course I do. I've been where she was, faced the same trials – we're not much different in age, either. She's a real fighter, more so than I am."

"There's a lot of Klingons and Romulans that would disagree with that," Elisa countered, "or they would, if they were still alive."

"Maybe so, but O'Neil was trained for it a lot better than I was." Lydana shrugged lopsidedly, staring out at the viewscreen as the slipstream finally dissipated, the engine tone shifting back to its higher-pitched hum. "Still, I guess I haven't done so badly. Ryan, how long to the Gasko system now?"

"About another day at maximum warp, ma'am," the helmsman answered, after a momentary check of his panel.

"Excellent, take us to maximum warp please. Commander, you have the bridge – I need to go over a few things and then turn in before we get there."

"Aye ma'am, I have the bridge," Elisa confirmed formally, before offering her friend a less-formal smile. "Get some rest, Lyddie. See you in a few hours."

Lydana nodded as she stood up, heading towards the turbolift on the left-hand side of the bridge. She was still seething over being woken up so early by DeVare, but she was determined not to let her crew see her fatigue.

"The usual order stands, Commander," she called back as she reached the lift. "Don't break my ship."

"Of course not, Admiral," Elisa replied, fighting to hide her smirk. "That's _your_ job."

Lydana narrowed her eyes at her first officer as the doors closed, shaking her head as she ordered the lift down to the deck where her quarters were located.

* * *

Lydana was surprised when she was _not_ woken up by either an alarm or an incoming message, allowing her to get back to her usual morning routine without interruption.  
While she'd been working, going over various reports and drill results – as well as composing and sending another letter to Loraya – she'd discovered a fondness for Klingon opera, which was a surprise to both herself and Elisa who had dropped by with another report. She requested one of the less well-known songs to listen to as she stretched and dressed, acquired a spiced tea from the replicator and headed for the bridge, feeling rested and ready for the day ahead.

* * *

"Helm, report."

"We'll be reaching the boundary of the Gasko system in one minute, sir." Lydana looked up in surprise at the female voice, before realising that the shift change would have occurred at around the same time she herself had woken up.

"Very good, drop to impulse as soon as we enter the system. Ops, once we drop out of warp begin scanning for the _Relentless_. Her ship may have a little difficulty spotting us, we'll have to introduce ourselves."

Exactly a minute later, the tone of the engines dropped again as the ship dropped out of warp, and the helm officer turned to Lydana.

"We've crossed the boundary sir. Would you like me to set a course?"

"Yes, a standard patrol pattern should do until-"

"Sir, I believe I've located the _Relentless_ ," the Ops officer reported. "Bearing two-one-seven mark three-five, a Federation warp signature that matches a _Constellation_ -class vessel. Her shields are up and weapons are charged."

"Sounds about right," Lydana answered, "this _is_ a known area of Tal Shiar operation, after all. I wouldn't be surprised if she'd had to fight off a few Romulan ships herself. Set a rendezvous course helm, full impusle."

"Aye ma'am, setting rendezvous course to two-one-seven mark three-five, full impulse."

"T'Vrell, hail them if you would."

"Acknowledged." A moment passed until the raven-haired Vulcan spoke again. "They are responding, Admiral."

"Onscreen," Lydana commanded, standing and stepping forward a couple of paces.

The viewscreen lit with a face that was acutely familiar – although the overall shape was different, the dark yellow skin surrounded by dark, bony spots that arched at her forehead and trailed down her nose were familiar, because they were the same features sported by Ensign Treleya. However, the dark, chestnut brown hair was different, and the Commander wore it in a simple high ponytail, unlike Lydana's own free-spilling tresses.

"Commander O'Neil, I'm Rear Admiral Kassai of the USS _Shadow of Bajor_. I understand you have a passenger for us." Lydana offered the officer a pleasant smile, folding her arms behind her back as she straightened her back.

"Admiral Kassai," O'Neil said, getting up from the captain's chair. "It's a pleasure to meet you." She glanced sideways at the tactical station. "We barely noticed you come in, sir."

Lydana chuckled, amused at how right she'd been.

"Yes, Intelligence vessels are known for their subtlety." She paused and thought for a moment, before carrying on. "Of course, that's actually a lie, Intel vessels aren't _known_ for anything, which I suppose is sort of the point."

"Indeed," O'Neil replied with a smile. "I imagine the secrecy helps in...your line of work, sir."

"I can neither confirm nor deny such claims," Lydana said in mock seriousness, before sobering again. "I hope you haven't suffered too much damage, waiting around for us, Commander? I can send over an engineering team to assist with any repairs, if you need it?"

"There is no need, sir," O'Neil replied. "My engineers can handle this, and while she may look battered, all the _Relentless_ needs right now is a new coat of paint." She paused, and smiled before continuing. "Well, a refit wouldn't be unwelcome, but you can't have everything."

Lydana couldn't help but laugh at the comment, and she waited for her laughter to subside before responding to the commander.

"Oh believe me, Commander, I know exactly what you mean! The _DaVinci_ was a scrappy little vessel, until she was impounded. They built them surprisingly sturdy in the old days."

The other officer smiled at the Admiral's response.

"Indeed," she said almost wistfully, "this ship has certainly proven herself. Old ladies like her can perfome incredibly, you just have to know how to handle them."

"I couldn't agree more," Lydana said, feeling that O'Neil was perhaps something of a kindred spirit. "Luckily I had a fine helmsman."

"Ma'am?" her ops officer called, and Lydana turned to look at him. "We're in transporter range now."

"Ah, we're in transporter range now Commander, so if you'd like to drop your shields we can take the passenger off your hands and get out of your hair. I'm sure you don't feel particularly comfortable, having an Admiral breathing down your neck."

The commander turned to the Andorian woman, standing behind her tactical console on the opposite bridge.

"Tala, drop our shields." She turned back to the viewscreen. "T'Kela is standing by in the transporter room, sir, awaiting transfer. And although I'm curious what makes her special enough to warrant the attention of the famed Admiral Kassai, I'm sure that's classified," she finished with a smile.

"Oh, I'm 'famed' now, am I?" Lydana asked with a demure grin, casually deflecting the question of classified information. "Should I be signing autographs now? Preparing my memoirs? I've never been 'famed' before, I don't quite know what to think."

"I wouldn't mind an autograph, sir," she replied with a sincere smile. "It's not every day that you meet the youngest admiral in the fleet, that also happens to be married to an officer from the Romulan Republic, whom she _also_ happened to rescue while on the run from Starfleet. You made making a name for yourself seem easy, sir." She paused, her smile widening slightly, while at the same time appearing a little smug. "Perhaps 'famed' wasn't the right word. 'Extraordinary' is more appropriate, Admiral."

Lydana blushed furiously, stunned not only by the praise but by how much of her career was well-documented. In the brief silence caused by Commander O'Neil's comments, Lydana's Ops officer informed her that their passenger had been brought aboard safely, shaking the Bajoran from her shock.

"Well...I wasn't aware my record was common knowledge," she said, wishing the heat in her cheeks would die down. "Anyway Commander, I think I've taken up enough of your time – last I heard, you were needed elsewhere, so I probably shouldn't hold you up any longer. It has been a pleasure to make your acquaintance, and I hope we get to meet in person next time."

"Likewise, Admiral," O'Neil replied, amused slightly by the other woman's bashfulness. "Safe travels and further successes to you, sir. _Relentless_ , out."

The screen returned to the view ahead of the ship, and Lydana watched as the _Relentless_ pulled away, embarking on whatever mission she was due for next.

"Helm, get us out of here, please," she ordered, heading for the turbolift again. "I'm going to meet our passenger, and find out where we're heading. T'Vrell, you have the bridge for now."

Without looking back, Lydana swept into the turbolift, sighing to herself as the doors closed behind her.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N: Well, things are getting interesting now! In another chapter or two, this story will be brought to a close - so what's going to happen? We shall see... and yes, I know this chapter is a little short. I apologise for that.**

 **Many thanks, as always, to my good friend Kretolus who always comments, and whose frequent forrays into the background of stuff has helped make this story better. Also, thanks to Tremor3258 for the frequent reviews and support. You guys are awesome!**

 **So, without further stalling for time, let's get to it!**

* * *

The _Shadow of Bajor_ was finally on its way to Cirini Prime, the colony world that T'Kela called home, and Lydana had returned to the bridge to find Elisa was back on duty. With an uneventful journey ahead, the redhead had decided to play a little game – trying to convince Lydana that other captains, both past and present, were as good or better than her idol, Captain Janeway.

"Okay, I think we can _all_ agree that regardless of status, Kirk had his faults," Elisa conceded, "all captains do. But you _can't_ deny that Picard was as much of a legend _and_ one of the finest captains in Starfleet."

"No, I can't," Lydana admitted, "but he never dragged his ship through an unknown quadrant for seven years, facing-"

"Every time, it comes back to the Delta Quadrant thing," Elisa complained to the rest of the bridge crew. "Come on, Lyddie, exploration of the unknown is part of our job description. You can't use that as the sole basis for your argument."

"Absolutely, but think of everything they faced on that mission," Lydana argued. "Think of the discovery of new threats, like the species we now call the Undine. The situations she fought through, against strong opposition-"

"Often against the recommendations of her crew, her first officer or both," Elisa countered. "Alright, let's move on then. Anyone else?"

"What about Captain Sisko?" T'Vrell asked flatly, and Lydana turned to glare at her.

"Now that's unfair," she complained. "You cannot ask me to decide between the captain that inspired me and the _Emissary to the Prophets_. You just can't. Next."

Elisa looked over at the turbolift as other bridge crew members entered for their duty shifts, relieving the officers currently at tactical, ops and the helm.

"Ryan, what about you? Pick a captain, past or present, that you think is at least as good as Janeway. We're teasing the Admiral."

"Well that won't end well for anyone," the helmsman said with a chuckle, sliding into his seat, "but I have to admit, I'm more a fan of Captain Paris myself."

"What's that human phrase? 'A one-trick pony', that was it. He's a great pilot of pretty much anything, but what about his science knowledge? He's too hot-headed, and being married to a half-Klingon probably hasn't helped."

"Ooh, that's harsh," Ryan replied, and there was a chorus of chuckles from the rest of the bridge crew. "I think I'll leave it there, I don't want to get thrown at the airlock."

"Good man," Lydana told him in a serious tone. "Don't want to lose my best pilot because he didn't know when to quit."

Before anyone else could speak, a tone sounded from Ryan's console, and he checked his display.

"Ma'am, we're approaching Cirini Prime, but...there seems to be a problem."

"Bring us out of warp, all stop," she commanded. "What sort of 'problem'?"

Instead, it was Teshar at Ops who answered.

"There's two, sir," Teshar reported, then brought it up on the viewscreen.

Lydana frowned as she tried to make sense of what she was seeing. There seemed to be a barrier, blocking access to the planet, and it was _vast_.

"There's a series of constructs around the entire planet, sir, all generating an interlocking barrier that is halting access to and from the surface. There _is_ an opening, but that's where the second problem comes in."

The view switched to the opening he'd mentioned, a single hexagonal gap large enough for two moderately-sized ships to pass through – and the ship that hung motionless in front of it.

A single _D'deridex_ -class battlecruiser sat at the opening, like a predator waiting to strike, and Elisa noticed the hardening of Lydana's expression.

"The Tal Shiar," she rasped, her eyes filled with a hatred the human officer had rarely seen in her friend.

"Should I engage the cloaking device, Admiral?" Rhobas asked, and Lydana shook her head.

"No. By now they already know we're here. Take us to red alert, raise shields. Ryan, set a rendezvous course, full impulse."

"Aye ma'am, setting rendezvous course, full impulse."

"Lyddie," Elisa said quietly, placing a hand on her friend's arm. "Are you sure you want to do this? Last time we crossed one of those...it didn't go so well."

Lydana turned to her, her expression cold and unmoving.

"This is not the _Steadfast_ , Lise," she said, her voice a low growl, "and I am not some panicky young Lieutenant. If they know my name from the last time, I will teach them to fear it. I will not be stopped by these terrorists."

Elisa held her gaze for a moment, before allowing a slow, feral grin spread across her face.

" _Now_ I remember why I always called you a badass nerd," she softly. "Chances are they won't let us get out of this without a fight, no matter what we say."

"Fair point. Rhobas, charge weapons and load torpedoes. Katura, status?"

"Intel systems are standing by."

Lydana sat back in her chair, watching with deadly intent as the massive Romulan vessel grew in the viewscreen, and she steepled her hands under her chin. The last time she faced such a ship, she commanded a two hundred-year old relic, and she herself was inexperienced and scared. Now, she commanded a state-of-the-art vessel, with modern weapons and a skilled, handpicked crew, and she was not only more experienced but also less afraid. Either the Tal Shiar warship would move aside for her...or she would make her way past its shattered remains.

"Sir, the Romulan vessel is hailing us," T'Vrell reported, and Lydana nodded.

"Onscreen."

The screen switched to show a stern-faced Romulan, in full Tal Shiar dress uniform, glaring at her from his green-lit bridge. He clearly intended to intimidate her, and she refused to let him.

"I am Commander Jomar, of the _Rea_ ," he announced firmly. "What is your purpose in this region?"

Lydana stood and carefully walked to the centre of her bridge, not breaking eye contact with the Romulan.

"I am Rear Admiral Kassai, of the Federation starship USS _Shadow of Bajor_. We are on a peaceful mission and-"

"Then why do you approach with shields raised and weapons armed?" Jomar snapped, and Lydana inclined her head.

"Because we were expecting trouble," she said disarmingly. "It isn't every day that we encounter a world that has been blockaded by the Star Empire."

"Cirini Prime has been placed under our protection, by order of Empress Sela. They are now a protectorate of the Romulan Star Empire."

"Whether its people like it or not, of course."

Jomar's expression stiffened, and when he spoke again his voice was low and dangerous.

"I do not like your tone, Starfleet. Once again I ask you, what are you doing here?"

"We here to return a citizen of Cirini Prime to her home," she said politely, spreading her arms in a gesture of sincerity. "Nothing more."

"What is the name of this 'citizen'?"

Lydana deliberated for a moment, then felt there was no reason to lie at that point.

"Her name is T'Kela."

"That is the name of a known criminal wanted by the Star Empire," Jomar responded, too quickly for it to have been true. "You will lower your shields and prepare to be boarded, so that we might apprehend this individual."

"I don't think so, Commander," Lydana answered, her tone icy this time, and his glare grew more intense.

"You will comply, or we will capture her by force!"

Lydana answered with a cold, humourless smile, still not taking her eyes from him.

"Commander, you are welcome to try."

He scowled at her, then gestured to his officer to end the transmission. As soon as the screen returned to the view of the _Rea_ , Lydana was already walking back to her chair.

"Ryan, evasive manoeuvres," she announced, as the first disruptor salvo hammered at the _Shadow_ 's shields, and Lydana was dropped unceremoniously back into her seat by the impacts. "Rhobas, return fire. Katura...deploy sensor swarm."

* * *

"Ryan, attack pattern Theta-Four," Elisa ordered, her voice calmly cutting through the chaos of the bridge. "Pull hard to port as we drop, with a ninety-degree roll to starboard as we pass. Tactical, ready a full broadside, all beam arrays."

A pair of confirmations came back to her, and Elisa looked to Lydana. "Anything to add?"

"Katura, report," the Bajoran snapped sharply, and the Intelligence officer shook her head.

"Still nothing, sir. I'll keep you informed."

The ship dived in response to Elisa's orders, curling around to pass under the slow, cumbersome Romulan vessel. As it did, Ryan executed the roll perfectly, causing two disruptor beams and a plasma torpedo to miss the ship completely. At the same time, the _Shadow of Bajor_ 's port side erupted in a volley of pale blue-green beams, a salvo which ripped into the _Rea_ 's shields and carved deep wounds into her hull. The two ships began to pass each other, and the _Shadow_ began to curl around again, pulling up and around in order to try and strike at the _Rea_ from above.

"Sirs, I have something," Katura stated, tapping at her console. "We can take their shields offline for a few seconds with a precise attack to a spot just behind the 'neck' of the warbird."

"Pass it to tactical," Lydana ordered. "Rhobas, prepare to engage."

"Aye sir...I have the target, beams are locked."

"Fire!"

Fresh beams lanced from the _Shadow of Bajor_ , scoring several fresh hits in the _Rea_ 's armour and causing the shields to flicker and die momentarily.

"Rapid fire, all beams!" Lydana shouted, and Rhobas wasted no time in responding.

The massive warbird struggled to come about, its cannons spitting emerald pulses desperately into the void, but the Intel ship was too fast. Its shields were back online within seconds – but by that time the damage had been done.

A rapid-fire volley of beams had hammered at the _Rea_ while her shields were still down, and with nothing to interrupt them the full fury of their energy bit deep into warbird's hull. Plasma fires broke out across its broken skin, the light of its warp nacelles flickering as it lost engine power and began to drift. The shields snapped back into life, but only at half strength, and Lydana's eyes were cold as she signed its death warrant.

"Finish her," she hissed, and there was only the slightest hesitation before Rhobas stabbed the firing key again.

Several more beams tore into the _Rea_ , until it began to break apart and its singularity started to overload. Lydana ordered the _Shadow_ away from the core detonation, narrowly avoiding the white-green shockwave that immolated the stricken warbird.

"Ryan, set course for the planet again please, high orbit," Lydana commanded wearily, pushing herself to her feet. "Ops, damage report."

"Minimal, sir," Teshar answered. "The shields deflected a lot of the damage. Minor hull fractures in the aft port quarter, one hull breach, a few wounded but no dead. Mister Cobham deserves a lot of credit."

"Don't thank me, thank whoever built this bird," Ryan replied, gesturing at his console. "This isn't a ship, it's a ballet dancer with beam arrays."

Lydana frowned for a moment, and beckoned Elisa closer. As the redhead moved in towards her, the Bajoran pitched her voice low to avoid being overheard.

"What's a ballet dancer?"

Elisa smiled and patted her side affectionately.

"I'll tell you later. You'd better go and fetch our guest, we'll be in transporter range in a few minutes. I'll have a security detail escort her to the transporter room."

"Take care of the ship while I'm gone, Lise," Lydana warned again as she headed for the turbolift. "And as for everyone else...outstanding work."

She walked into the turbolift without a backward glance, waiting until the doors closed to lean against the wall. She hadn't even done anything, and yet she felt drained from the combat. She knew it was just the after-effects of adrenaline, of course, but that didn't stop her feeling shaken. She took a deep, shaking breath, stood up straight and adjusted her uniform, until eventually she felt steady on her feet again. It was time to take T'Kela back home, and that was a task she could take some joy in.

She only hoped it was a joy that would last.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N: This is it. The penultimate chapter. The lines are drawn, the rallying cries sounded, the calls for aid answered. The question is...will it be enough?**

 **Thanks as always to Kretolus and Tremor3258 for their regular reviews and support, and for being awesome.**

 **Hope you're ready for the ride to come...**

* * *

Lydana and a small away team beamed down to the surface with the young Romulan woman, in order to investigate the Tal Shiar presence in orbit. The young Admiral met with Councillor Rehu, the head of the Cirini colony, and she had politely asked for Lydana's opinion on who she should side with – the Tal Shiar, who promised protection at the cost of total freedom, or the Republic, who promised freedom but at the cost of total peace.

"I'm flattered you'd ask me, Councilor," Lydana answered, her tone apologetic, "but I don't think I can offer an opinion in good conscience. I'm hardly unbiased."

Rehu frowned in confusion, cocking her head in silent question.

"I've fought the Tal Shiar and the Star Empire on too many separate occasions," the Admiral continued, "plus...my wife is of the Republic."

"Ah, I see." The councilor nodded in understanding, giving Lydana a gentle smile. "Well then, I guess I will have to make the decision myself."

"If it helps any, it seems to me you've done a fine job of remaining neutral," Lydana assured her. "If you wanted to keep that neutrality, I think you can do it, and you have every right to choose that."

"Thank you, Admiral, that means a lot to me and my people," Rehu said , her sincerity obvious. "While you are here, however...there is a man here, a survivor of the Virinat attack. I think you might find what he has to say quite interesting. He is past our town hall, no doubt fixing something or other."

"Thank you Councilor, I'll do that," Lydana replied, "and good luck to you and your people."

Lydana bid the Councilor farewell and headed in the direction she had pointed out, ignoring the glares of the Tal Shiar representatives but resting her hand pointedly on her disruptor pistol. They passed without incident, and continued past the town hall until they found another Romulan, lying on his back, almost unnaturally focussed on the repairs he was carrying out. Lydana approached carefully, gesturing for her team to stay where they were as she crouched beside the man.

"Excuse me," she said softly, "the Councilor told me you are a survivor of Virinat?"

He paused at the mention of the lost colony, before carrying on his work.

"That's right," he said flatly, not looking at Lydana.

"She said...that you had something to say regarding the attack."

"Do you know what the Tal Shiar and the Star Empire are saying about us?" he asked angrily, still working.

"In my experience, they say a lot of things, very little of it true."

"Right. Well, they're calling _us_ terrorists, as if _we_ were the ones going around with alien allies abducting people, and attacking innocent colonies who just want to stay away from the fighting! Tell me, do _you_ think us terrorists?"

Lydana shook her head.

"I know you aren't," she said, maintaining a soft, calm tone. "My wife is from Virinat too, and she's certainly no terrorist."

"Well, I'm sure your Federation are less convinced, so why not take them some evidence?" He placed a tool down, picked up another from his other side and continued his work. "Virinat was an agricultural colony, and yet they are saying we stored weapons there, to be used by the Republic against the Star Empire. Have a look for yourself, and take your findings to your superiors."

"I'll do that," Lydana told him. "As far as I'm aware, we haven't had the time to send an investigation team over there. Perhaps it's time one went there anyway."

The man made a grunt of acknowledgment, but carried on with his work without any further comment, and Lydana straightened up and returned to her team. She tapped her commbadge, informed the _Shadow_ that they were ready to beam up, and within seconds they were back on board, with Lydana heading straight to the bridge.

"Kassai to the bridge," she said aloud, walking as fast she could for the turbolift.

" _Go ahead, Admiral,"_ Elisa answered formally, and Lydana suppressed a grimace.

"Set course for the Virinat system – it's about time we investigated the Star Empire's rumours of weapons being held there," she ordered, stepping into the turbolift as soon as she reached it.

* * *

Since the journey to Virinat was not particularly urgent, Lydana had decided not to engage the Slipstream drive and instead stick to standard warp speeds – mainly so she could deal with the piles of paperwork that had been building up.

It still amazed her that, in a society that no longer used paper, it was still referred to as 'paperwork', but it was just as mind-numbing and hateful no matter what it was called.

She leaned back in her chair, wishing her ready room had a window as she instead stared at the model ships mounted on the wall.  
Unlike other captains, the ships that adorned her ready room reflected the ships she'd commanded in her career – starting with the _Steadfast_ , through the _DaVinci_ and _Banshee_ , and culminating with the _Shadow_. Usually captains had models that reflected all the vessels that had borne their ship's name, as Picard had done, or just a variety of ships. Lydana had wanted them to mean something to her, however, to remind her where she began...not that she'd ever forget the start of her career, but it never hurt to have a reminder.

She sighed in relief as the door chime sounded, and she called her visitor in, smiling warmly as she saw her friend enter.

"If they offer to make you an Admiral," she told the redhead, getting out of her chair and heading for the replicator, "refuse. It's as much bureaucracy as it is actual work."

"Oh, it can't be that bad, surely?" Elisa asked, shaking her head as Lydana silently offered her a beverage.

"You think?" Lydana sat back down, setting her spiced to one side and grabbing a handful of PADDs. She began listing their contents, gesturing with each one as she mentioned it.

"Readiness reports for my task force. Crew evaluations. Fleet deployments, as if I really needed to know. Intel reports, I could tell you but I'd have to kill you. The Federation Science Commission want _me_ to offer a second opinion on the credentials of a 'colleague' I've never met or heard of, and finally a science report they want me to evaluate. It's all fun around here," she added wryly, and Elisa chuckled.

"Well, I'm sure you'll manage. No letter from Loraya lately?"

Lydana frowned, rubbing at her nose ridges again, and shook her head.

"No, and that worries me. Last I heard they were going on a mission to take the fight to these 'Elachi' we've been hearing about, but nothing since then."

"She's tough, Lyddie, I'm sure she can handle herself," Elisa reassured her, although her friend looked unconvinced. "Anyway, We're not far out from Virinat, wondered if you wanted me to arrange an away team for you."

Lydana shook her head again as she sipped her tea, setting it down carefully.

"Not this time. I have a rather painful reminder of why I shouldn't be leading away teams, so this one's yours. Make sure you take Anari with you though, she's tough, dependable and keeps her cool in a fight."

"Will do," Elisa replied with a short nod. "Anything else?"

Lydana handed her a PADD she had been working on, and Elisa frowned as she looked it over.

"What do you think? It's my tactics and formations list for the task force, figured I'd get your opinion as a tactical officer."

Elisa spent a few moments perusing the device, before nodding in approval as she passed it back.

"I'm impressed Lyddie, you've become quite tactically astute since your officer training." She smiled at her friend's blush, before taking a deep breath and coming to attention.

"Right then, I guess I'd better see to _my_ away team then," she stated, and Lydana nodded.

"Be careful down there, Commander," she warned, and Elisa noted a change in her friend's tone when she gave official orders. "We need evidence, not fresh bodies on the deck. Stay safe, find what you can and get back up here. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Elisa answered, before giving her friend a jovial salute and heading out of the room.

Lydana took another sip of her tea, sighed in defeat, and returned to her paperwork.

* * *

" _Coming up on the Virinat system now, ma'am."_

Lydana looked up from her assortment of PADDs, rubbing her eyes with her thumbs.

"Thank you Ryan, bring us out of warp and I'll be there in a moment."

She gathered the PADDs into some sort of order, recycled her mug and straightened her uniform jacket, before adjusting her hair as well. She had to at least look less tired than she felt.  
Once she'd seen to her appearance, she stepped out of the ready room door and back onto the bridge, slowing as she saw the viewscreen...and how utterly empty the space around Virinat was.

"Ops, report," she said quietly, as if afraid to wake the spirits of those who had died there.

"I'm detecting dozens of wrecked ships, of varying sizes. None of them seem to be have been combat vessels...and there are no lifesigns from the planet."

"Prophets," Lydana whispered, offering a silent prayer for the souls of the dead. "Move us into transporter range, Mister Cobham. Bridge to Commander Flores."

" _Flores here, Admiral."_

"We're approaching Virinat, standby to beam down. And remember what I said earlier."

" _Aye ma'am. Ready on your order."_

Lydana kept watching the viewscreen, horrified that someone would attack such a peaceful, beautiful planet...and then she remembered just _who_ had perpetrated the attack, and she was suddenly less surprised.

"I've never been in a system that's so silent," Teshar said, in the same hushed tones as his captain. "It's...eerie."

"You're telling me," Lydana replied, finally settling into her chair. "Keep an eye on the sensors, Mister Teshar. I don't want us to get surprised by anything while we're here."

The rest of the journey to the planet passed in taut silence, each member of the crew subdued by the enormity of the tragedy.

"We're in transporter range now, ma'am," Ryan reported, and Lydana almost flinched at the sudden sound of his voice.

"Thank you, bring us into a geosynchronous orbit. Bridge to Commander Flores, you're clear to transport."

" _Roger that ma'am, we'll keep you updated. Flores out."_

"Ops, scan the colony, see what you can ascertain from here. Look for energy traces that would be out of place for an agricultural colony, especially traces of thalaron radiation. That's one thing that the Tal Shiar are keen to pin on the Republic."

Teshar acknowledged the order and focussed on his console, and Lydana returned to waiting expectantly for Elisa's report.

* * *

When it came, it was precisely what she expected.

" _There's no sign of anything to suggest this was anything more than a peaceful world, sir,"_ Elisa reported, her voice strained with grief for the lost. _"Looks like they were in the middle of a festival when they were attacked."_

"Teshar, anything to add?"

The Andorian shook his head slowly.

"Nothing, sir. No sign of thalaron weapons, no other weapons signatures that I can identify. All I can see is trace amounts of energy that match up with Romulan disruptor weapons – centred around impact craters. Evidence would suggest that they were attacked by Romulans, and I doubt they did it themselves."

"Did you hear that, Lise?"

" _I did sir, and it matches what we're seeing here. Craters from orbital strikes, carrying trace energy signatures of Romulan weapons. It was definitely a Tal Shiar attack."_

Lydana's hands curled into fists subconsciously, and only the pain of her nails digging into her palms informed her of the instinct reaction.  
As far as she was concerned, the people this happened to were her family, as much her people as Bajorans were, and she felt the grief and rage as if it had happened to her personally.

"Anything else to add, Commander?" Lydana asked through clenched teeth, fighting to control her emotions.

" _We've found a strange beacon-type device, that seems powered down now. It doesn't match anything in our database, but it lines up with signatures the Republic provided us...of Elachi tech."_

"Good work, Elisa," Lydana said flatly. "Finish up, then get back on board. We'll send this to Command and see what they make of it."

" _Aye aye, ma'am. Flores out."_

Lydana sighed and leaned back in her chair, trying to process what she was feeling. It wasn't normal for her to be so affected by such a tragedy, but then she rarely came across such things happening to a race she knew and cared about.

Just as she'd begun to relax, T'Vrell caught her attention again.

"Sir, we have a Priority One message coming in from Admiral T'Nae, broadcast on all subspace channels."

"Onscreen," Lydana ordered wearily, fresh emotion rising in her gut.

The screen switched to show the small, angular features of the Vulcan Admiral, and while her expression lacked emotion, her eyes didn't.  
They were furious.

"To all ships, this is a Priority One alert. Our allies, the Romulan Republic, have been attacked at their homeworld of New Romulus."

There was a collective intake of breath from the bridge crew, but none surpassed that of Lydana herself, who's hand covered her mouth in shock before she could control it. Unshed tears began to burn in her eyes as the message continued, but she was only partially aware of it.

"All ships are to report in for further orders, and it is advised that all captains appraise themselves of the observed capabilities of the enemy known as the Elachi. T'Nae, out."

The screen blanked again, and Lydana took a moment to try and regain her composure.

"T'Vrell, open...open a channel to the Admiral," she said, her voice quivering, and the Vulcan complied. In a few short seconds, the admiral's face lit the screen again, now in real time.

"Admiral Kassai, thank you for your swift response," she said in her typical, unemotional voice. "Your task force is on its way to you at Virinat. Once it arrives, head to New Romulus at best speed to bolster the defence forces – the Romulans have not had time to implement their orbital defences yet, and as such they are painfully vulnerable."

"Yes ma'am," Lydana replied, still fighting against the tears in her eyes and the lump in her throat.

"And Miss Kassai...I understand how you must feel, but we need you focussed – the _Romulans_ need you focussed. Do not let emotion cloud your judgement."

"Yes ma'am," she repeated, forcing her voice into something harder and steadier. "I'll see you at New Romulus. Kassai, out."

"We have the Commander back, sir," Teshar reported in the silence that followed, as Lydana continued to fight against her own emotions. "Detecting multiple Starfleet warp signatures...looks like your task force, sir."

Lydana scrubbed at her eyes, swallowing hard and staring levelly ahead of her.

"Onscreen."

The perspective shifted slightly, flicking away from the planet to the space off to the _Shadow_ 's left, where nine fresh flares of light heralded the arrival of her task force.

The ships she now commanded formed an impressive miniature fleet in its own right; two _Sao Paolo_ escorts, a _Gryphon_ support escort, two _Sovereign_ -class cruisers, two refitted _Excelsior_ -class cruisers, a _Rhode Island_ science vessel...and a _Jupiter_ -class carrier.  
On any other day, it would have stolen Lydana's breath, but she was too afraid for her wife to truly admire it.

"Sir, we are being hailed," T'Vrell informed her, and Lydana gestured for her to acknowledge it.

A familiar sleek, grey Caitian appeared on the screen, a hunger for battle gleaming in her good eye, and she bared her fangs in a feral grin.

"Admiral Kassai," she growled. "I assume I have you to thank for me still being with Starfleet?"

"I have no idea what you mean, Tenahbi," Lydana answered, a trace of humour returning to her voice, and the Caitian laughed.

"If you will forgive the insubordination, Admiral, to quote the humans, I call bullshit."

"I'll let it slide this time," she replied with a slight smile. "How are our people?"

"Ready to kick these vile creatures back to whatever foul hole they came from," Tenahbi answered with a snarl. "As am I."

"Then let's not waste time. Form up on us, standard pattern. It's time the republic knew what an alliance with the Federation means."

"And time the Elachi learned to fear us," Tenahbi added, baring her fangs.

"Quite so, Captain. Let's get to it. _Shadow,_ out."

The screen blanked once more, and Lydana instantly began giving her orders.

"Ryan, set course for New Romulus, maximum warp. Rhobas, charge weapons and shields, load torpedoes. I expect us to be going in hot. Teshar, I need you monitoring the task force so that we know how to support each other. T'Vrell, same thing, I need you to keep up with the task force comms."

A volley of assents greeted her, and as the ship began turning to settle into its place in the formation, Elisa strode out of the turbolift and took her place at Lydana's side.

"I just heard," she said in hushed tones, "are you-"

"I don't want to talk about it, Lise," Lydana said sharply, before looking down at the deck sadly. "But your concern is noted...and appreciated."

Elisa stayed quiet, resting her hand on Lydana's arm in a silent show of support, and the Admiral looked up once more.

"T'Vrell, open a channel to the task force."

"Open, sir."

"All ships, this is Admiral Kassai. I want readiness states reported to me within the next fifteen minutes. Set course for New Romulus...engage."

A split second later, ten ships jumped to warp in rapid succession, and Lydana offered a prayer to the Prophets – to watch over her people, across all the ships she now commanded...but mostly over Loraya, who no doubt was in the middle of the defence of her home.


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N: Sorry about the hiatus there folks, but what with moving house, waiting ages for my internet to get set up again, and then my partner going into labour it's been a busy few weeks! Anyway, at long last, here it is - the finale to Bonds! I hope you all have some ice cream handy ;)**

* * *

The task force dropped out of warp, and into chaos.

A vast fleet of Elachi ships was tearing into the assembled Romulan forces, their narrow ships too fast to keep a lock on, their crescent-shaped bolts of energy scything through shields and hull plating with ease. Above the beauty of New Romulus, vessels from both sides fractured and exploded, but the Romulans were losing – because in the centre of the Elachi formation were two immense dreadnoughts, their weapons reaping a bloody toll on the Romulans.

Elisa opened her mouth to begin issuing orders, knowing her best friend was not so tactically minded, but Lydana stood quickly and cut her off.

"T'Vrell, hail the task force."

"Channel open, sir."

"All ships, this is the Admiral. We aren't used to this enemy, so be careful, remember to support each other and offer aid to our allies wherever possible. I want you tied into our communications net at all times, and we'll be feeding you any targeting information as we get it. Now, form up – _Apollo_ , _Firefox_ and _Virtue_ , take point. I want you sweeping ahead, taking out any small craft or light ships you see. _Queen Mary_ and _Queen Victoria_ , I need you on our flanks – we'll be punching through the heart of the enemy fleet. _Titan_ , stay behind us and deploy fighters for interception duties. _Agamemnon_ and _Ares_ , support the _Titan_. The _Mercury_ will support all of us as the situation dictates.

You have your orders, people. Let's show them what we can do."

Elisa stared at her friend, shocked at how astute she'd become, but she could also see the tension in her movements. She couldn't imagine what must be going through the young Bajoran's head, knowing that someone she cared about was out there in the firefight.

"Sir, we are being hailed," T'Vrell announced calmly, and Lydana frowned.

"From who?"

"A Romulan vessel, the _V'tirex_."

Lydana thought about it, then shrugged.

"Onscreen."

"Glad you could make it to the party, my love," Loraya joked, as soon as she appeared on the screen. "Forgive me for not welcoming you, but all of our 'welcome' is being reserved for our new friends."

"We're going to have to have a talk about the company you keep," Lydana answered, choking back tears. "How are you faring?"

"Well enough, dearest – you weren't the only one who got a new ship, and there's a new feature I have been just aching to try out."

"Well, keep yourself alive, we still have a home to make down there."

"It's a promise, my sweet," Loraya said with a grin, and pressed a key on her armrest. "Tovan, are you ready?"

" _Yes ma'am. Is that Lyddie I saw arrive?"_

"It was, and she appears to have brought friends. Prepare for separation." She looked back at Lydana, her smile turning melancholy. "You be safe as well, my love. This fight is going to be rough, and I want to make sure you come out of it. Target the Command dreadnoughts, they're the key here. Be safe, Dana. _V'tirex_ out."

The screen switched back to the wider conflict, and Lydana's eyes narrowed.

"Ryan, take us in, full impulse."

The _Shadow_ began advancing towards the clashing fleets, the other ships in the task force moving into their assigned positions, and none of the captains were more eager than Lydana – none of them were fighting to save their wife.

* * *

Fresh damage alarms sounded, as the ship shuddered under yet another assault, and Lydana swore in Bajoran.

"T'Vrell, order the escorts to tighten formation," she snapped, ignoring a fresh cut above her left eye. "That one came in too close, we need to group up."

Another hit, heavier and more powerful, hit the _Shadow_ , causing it to veer off-course momentarily.

"Katura, give me _something!_ "

"Forgive me, Admiral, but these dreadnoughts are exceptionally well-built. We're finding it difficult to locate any weaknesses."

"Keep trying!" Lydana shot back, as another hit rocked the ship and caused the lights to flicker, a plasma conduit in the ceiling erupting behind her. "Ryan, evasive pattern Flores-Two!"

"Ma'am!" Teshar shouted in fresh alarm. "The _Victoria_ just went down!"

"Shit!" Lydana thought hard about her options, making a decision she had been trying to avoid. "Bring the _Titan_ forwards, and have the _Ares_ cover the exposed flank. Order the _Mercury_ back to cover the carrier."

The long, broad form of the _Titan_ edged forwards, as the _Ares_ surged ahead to take the place of its fallen comrade.

However, the Elachi noticed the shift in the formation, and a trio of flattened, arrow-like ships swept down on the now-exposed carrier. A swarm of Peregrine fighters attempted to intercept them, but they were blasted apart in short order and the Elachi ships continued their attack.

The _Titan_ engaged the ships with her own phasers, scoring several hits on the lead Elachi vessel and causing it to explode, but its fellows soared through the expanding ball of flame and plasma and opened fire on the carrier. The _Mercury_ fought desperately to protect her charge, using her own phasers and torpedoes, draining the Elachi shields with a tachyon beam, but their attack was too focused. Several gleaming crescent bolts scythed into the _Titan_ 's shields, shortly followed by another salvo which punched through to bite deep into the armoured hull. The carrier heaved under the assault, one of its nacelles detonating with massive release of energy. The explosion knocked out the large ship's impulse engines as well, leaving it coasting on nothing but momentum.

The _Mercury_ , however, fared even worse.

Its attempts at defending its larger charge had brought it to the attention of the two Elachi ships, which swung around after they passed the _Titan_ and tore into the small science ship. Despite the two Starfleet vessels causing heavy damage to their attackers, a lucky torpedo slammed into the _Mercury_ 's Engineering section, causing the warp core to overload.

The _Titan_ was lucky to escape the ensuing detonation at all, although much of its crew suffered severe injuries and radiation poisoning, and the carrier itself was little more than a life-bearing wreck.

"The _Mercury_ is lost with all hands, sir," Teshar reported sombrely, "and the _Titan_ is out of action."

Lydana swore again, loudly and vehemently, and she glared at the back of Ryan's head.

"Mister Cobham, by all that's holy, _get us closer!_ "

"Sir, the _Relentless_ is transmitting a distress call," T'Vrell announced casually. "They took heavy damage protecting a Republic vessel. Her warp core is destabilising and they are abandoning ship."

"Launch runabouts to pick up survivors, and deploy a beam turret to cover them," Lydana ordered swiftly, determined to make sure Starfleet didn't lose _too_ many good officers to the Elachi.

"Ma'am! We're in torpedo range!" Rhobas shouted excitedly, and Lydana's lips drew back in a feral snarl of anger.

"Target the closest dreadnought and fire, full spread," she commanded, and Rhobas' expression mirrored her own as he complied.

Chroniton torpedoes were a technological marvel, which had been one reason why Lydana wanted them. They were constantly in a state of temporal flux, which made it difficult to defend against them – more often than not they bypassed a target's shields completely, striking directly at the unprotected hull.

So it was with the salvo from the _Shadow_ – a broad spread of eight projectiles bore down on the target, and although three of them wasted themselves uselessly against the dreadnought's shields, the other five went through like the shields didn't exist.

Five separate explosions blossomed along the dreadnought's flank, shards of hull plating and deck plating being thrown out into the void. Lights flickered momentarily, its drive emissions wavered...and then stabilised, and the massive ship began to turn towards the new aggressor.

* * *

Lydana hung her head defeatedly, taking a deep, shaking breath before giving her next order.

"Contact the remaining members of the task force," she said quietly, "order them to fall back and regroup with us. We can't touch these ships without finding a weakness."

Under heavy fire from the Elachi ships, the surviving members of Lydana's task force turned around and made their way out of weapons range, desperate to find a solution.

"Damage report, Teshar," Lydana sighed, while Elisa worked with Katura to analyse the information they'd managed to acquire.

"Heavy damage across all decks, ma'am," the Andorian reported. "we've lost half of the aft beam arrays, and the secondary deflector is offline. Hull breaches on decks three, four, and seven through thirteen. Port shields are down to twenty-five percent, and-"

"Alright, I get the idea," Lydana interrupted, pinching the bridge of her nose and closing her eyes. How many people had she lost, purely because she was determined to forge ahead and protect her wife?

"Lise, some good news would be _really_ nice right now," she said, and the redhead looked up at her.

Her expression did not fill Lydana with confidence.

"Wish I had some, sir, but we've gone over everything and we couldn't find any weaknesses."

"It may be that we weren't in range long enough, however," Katura added, and Lydana shook her head.

"I don't want to get closer to those things without an edge. Find me something."

"Admiral," T'Vrell said in her usual cool tone, "we are being hailed again."

"By who?"

"The _V'tirex_ ," she replied, "although the signal is unstable. I believe she has suffered severe damage."

A cold chill ran down Lydana's spine, and her gut clenched as she gave the command to receive the hail.

The screen lit with a static-washed image of Loraya, green blood dripping down her face from a wound along her forehead. Her hair was messy and out of place, her uniform burned and torn in equal measure, and there was pain in the Romulan's eyes. Lydana assumed from the way her wife sat that she'd broken a rib or three.

"Raya!" Lydana ran from her spot at the back of the bridge to the centre of it, ignoring any notion of acting her rank. "Prophets, Raya," she said, choking back her emotion, "you're awful close to breaking that promise."

Loraya laughed then winced, before meeting her wife's eyes.

"I'm sorry, my love, but...I think I may have to break it anyway."

"Don't be ridiciculous, we're going to regroup and then-"

"You misunderstand me," Loraya interrupted, "I'm _choosing_ to. There is no other choice."

A fist of ice clenched Lydana's heart, her jaw working silently as she tried to find the words to respond.

"Wh...what? Why?"

"Dana, listen. My ship...my ship is in pieces. I have no weapons left, life support is barely working...most of my crew is dead, the only survivors are with Tovan on the Guardian section." Loraya took a deep breath, fighting through her obvious pain. "I have only two things left that are useful, my engines and a functioning singularity core. None of us stand a chance unless those command dreadnoughts are destroyed...I can at least give my people, and my wife, the chance to end this and survive."

"Raya, don't do this!" Lydana sobbed, her tears spilling free at last. "I can't go on without you, Raya, _don't do this!_ "

"You can, my love, and you must," Loraya answered, her own tears flowing in reciprocal heartache. "I love you so much, and I always will, and that is why I have to give you this chance. Live for me, dearest. Live for us both."

The screen cut back to the starscape ahead of them, as Lydana stood staring at it in numb horror.

"T...Teshar!" she snapped, her emotions running rampant. "Put the _V'tirex_ onscreen!"

The screen eventually changed to the bulky, tapered upper section of the ship that had been a _Haakona_ warbird,its skin ablaze with emerald fire. Lydana watched in silence as the engines flared, as Loraya diverted all possible power into them. The vast ship flew like a burning spear, straight towards one of the dreadnoughts.

"Dammit, get a tractor beam on her! A transporter lock, target her engines, _anything!_ "

Elisa moved quickly to her friend's side, wrapping her arms around the stricken Bajoran as she burst into tears.

"Ma'am, I...I can't," Teshar said, his tone sympathetic. "She's too far out of range."

Lydana turned to the viewscreen again, transfixed by the majestic, broken warbird and its suicide run.

There was a release of power as the huge ship destroyed the dreadnought's shields, and a dagger of pain went through Lydana as the tapered nose smashed into the side of the immense Elachi vessel. She expected it to grind itself to a halt, but it had built up a lot of momentum – instead it continued to carve deep into the dreadnought's skin, pushing it closer to its counter-part before the overloaded singularity core finally detonated.

A huge, green-white shockwave ripped the remains of the _V'tirex_ apart, and with it the dreadnought that had borne the brunt of its assault. Twelve Elachi ships of varying classes were destroyed in an instant, and the surviving dreadnought was a burning, half-wrecked shadow of its former power.

Lydana stared at the screen, unable to feel anything beyond the agony of loss, as the whole of her universe collapsed.

She closed her eyes, offering a silent goodbye to the only woman she had ever loved, choking back her emotions before they overwhelmed her. There was too much to do first. There would be time for grief...but first came retribution.

"Ryan," she snapped, in a cold, dead voice that sounding nothing like her own, "bring us about."

"What?!" Elisa grabbed Lydana's arm as the Admiral strode back to her chair, alarmed by the ferocity in the Bajoran's dark eyes. "Lyddie, I know what you must be feeling, but-"

"You truly don't," Lydana hissed, her voice shaking only slightly. "You will _never_ know what I am feeling, so don't presume that you do." She pulled herself free of Elisa's grip and took her seat, staring straight ahead at the viewscreen. "Ryan, your orders stand. Bring us about and head back to the fight. Rhobas, divert emergency power to the functioning weapons and port shield. T'Vrell, tell the task force I need two volunteers."

"What for, Admiral?" the Vulcan asked flatly.

"We're going to clear my fucking sky."

* * *

The first volunteer was not who Lydana expected, and yet it made complete sense.

Almost as soon as Lydana's request went out, the _Queen Mary_ turned around and settled back in at the _Shadow_ 's flank, despite missing half her saucer section and one nacelle streaming plasma constantly. However, a second volunteer was not so forthcoming,and Lydana snarled.

"T'Vrell, open a channel to-"

"That may not be necessary, Admiral," the Vulcan replied, and without being asked to she put what she was hearing on the main audio channel.

" _-isten to me, you heartless cowards,"_ Captain Tenahbi's familiar low voice snarled, _"our Admiral's wife just sacrificed herself to give the rest of us a chance to end this threat here. We need just_ one _other ship to stand with her, to show her that we will support her to the end. I once stood opposed to her actions, but if_ I _can be the first to fight alongside her then what right have any of you to do less?!"_

Lydana almost wept at the display of solidarity from Tenahbi, but even more so at the events that followed.

"Ma'am, the _Agamemnon_ is coming about..."

"Finally," she said bitterly.

"...as is the _Firefox_. The _Apollo_ and _Ares_ report too much damage to continue, but the _Virtue_ is also on its way back to us."

Lydana was grateful for their support, but the positive thought didn't last long – the yawning wound inside her wouldn't allow anything good to take root anymore, and her heart was filled only with a thirst for vengeance.

"Tell them we're going back in, and we're not coming out again until every last Elachi ship is a burning memory."

 _Like my wife,_ she thought, as the ships formed up around the _Shadow_.

The five remaining ships plunged back into the fight, beams lancing out at any enemy vessel that crossed their paths. The escorts cleared a path directly ahead of the small group, their cannons making short work of anything that dared come near, and volleys of torpedoes were fired from every ship at any target in range. The Elachi fired back, too late seeing the small, damaged group for the threat that it was, but Lydana's people would not waiver. The Intel systems finally detected the weakness they so badly needed in the surviving dreadnought to destroy it for good, and the information was passed to every ship in range.

Cannons, torpedoes and beams ripped at the ruined vessel, before it finally detonated in a huge explosion that left another hole in the Elachi battle lines. The _Shadow_ and her accompanying vessels swept through that hole, all weapons firing at every enemy they detected, and a trail of Elachi wreckage was left in their wake.

Soon, with aid from the Romulans and their Klingon allies, the last of the Elachi ships was destroyed, leaving the skies above New Romulus clear at last.

Wordlessly, Lydana stood up and strode from the bridge, leaving Elisa to assume command in her absence.

* * *

She sat in her quarters, the lights off, letting her tears fall freely onto the blade of her acquired _bat'leth_. She wept openly and uncontrollably, giving vent to the agony within her. As her sobs receded – a temporary reprieve, she knew – she lifted the Klingon weapon and placed the point against her throat, tightening her grip on the handle. With Loraya gone, there was nothing else left for her, nothing worth staying alive for, and so she prepared to join her wife.

She tightened her grip again, unsure why it kept slipping. She felt the blade bite just a little, and closed her eyes. _Just one more thrust_ , she thought, _one more push and I won't feel any more pain._

Fresh tears streamed down her cheeks as she remembered Loraya as she was in life, the smiling, light-hearted warrior with the un-Romulan hair, and she silently told her wife to wait for her.

As her grip tightened again, another thought leapt into her mind, clear as day and sharply focused, one that stopped her cold.

" _Live for me, dearest. Live for us both."_

There was a moment of apprehension, until with a howl of grief and rage she leapt up and lashed out with the weapon, carving through her coffee table in a single stroke. She poured all of her emotion into the weapon, screaming as she continued to lash out at anything in reach, until all of her strength was spent.

* * *

Elisa knew that forcing the door to the Admiral's quarters was likely to get her killed – no doubt shoved out of an airlock – but she was concerned for her friend. The young Bajoran had never faced anything like the trauma she now endured, and the Commander had to make sure she was still okay.

What she saw shocked her. Her friend was kneeling on the floor, cradling a small stone that hummed quietly in her hands, while all of the furniture around her looked like a pack of wild targs had trampled through it, shortly followed by a small natural disaster. Every piece of furniture withing a ten foot radius had been meticulously hacked apart, and Elisa had to duck the _bat'leth_ still lodged in a corner of the wall.

A thousand things ran through her head as she stared at her grieving friend, and as she crouched next to her she said the worst one she could think of.

"Are you okay?"

"I'll pretend you didn't ask that," Lydana rasped, not looking at her friend. She refused to look away from the small stone that she held, and up close Elisa realised it looked like a ship.

"The crew are worried about you," she offered, and Lydana snorted derisively, although it came out as more of a muted sob.

"They should be," she answered, stroking a thumb over the stone ship but not elaborating.

An awkward silence stretched between them for a while, until Elisa was about to speak. Just as she had been going to say something, Lydana cut her off, and Elisa let her talk.

"What...what am I going to do now, Lise?" she said, finally looking at her friend, her eyes red and sore from grief. "Loraya was...she was everything to me, and now...now sh-she's gone!"

She burst into a fresh bout of crying as she said that, and Elisa pulled her close.

"I don't know honey," she said softly, stroking her friend's hair, "but I do know that you won't have to face it alone. You'll always have me, and your crew are always with you. You've earned a lot of respect from them, and they're all worried about- wait, Lyddie, you're bleeding!"

Lydana nodded, but refused to moved from her friend's arms.

"I-I tried to...to end it," she admitted, and she could sense Elisa's disapproval. Not that she cared.

"Then you're a fucking idiot," the redhead replied, although she couldn't muster the requisite anger.

"Raya would've said the same," Lydana said softly, finally beginning to pull away from her friend's embrace. "It was only her last words that stopped me. I don't know what she expected me to do without her, but..."

She shrugged as her voice trailed off, and Elisa stood up as Lydana did.

"Well, you're a bigshot badass Admiral now, so no doubt you can-"

She stopped as Lydana shook her head vigorously.

"No. I can't go on without Raya. She gave me the courage and confidence to be who I was...so I'm going to resign my commission."

"And do what?" This time Elisa couldn't hide her disapproval, because she knew Lydana was capable of more on her own than she believed.

Lydana shrugged, turning away from her friend, still cradling the humming stone.

"I don't know. Help the Romulans with their science work, maybe, or-"

"Loraya told you to _live_ , not give up on life!" Elisa snapped, resisting the urge to slap the younger woman. "Starfleet is all you've ever wanted, and despite what you believe you made Admiral on your own, _not_ because of Loraya! Yes, she gave you a confidence boost when you needed it, but it was _you_ who made use of that new-found confidence to better yourself. At the very least, give yourself a chance to grieve before making any rash decisions, please?"

Lydana thought about it, and finally gave a curt nod, taking in a few hitching breaths.

"Good girl. Now, I really think you need to come down to sickbay. Apparently Commander O'Neil has been issuing threats to the medical staff, regarding her friend – well, I say friend, but I'm sure it's more than that. There's to be some serious repressed sexual tension there."

Lydana couldn't help but give a short laugh – not the rich, musical laughter she would have given before, but Elisa considered it a start.

"Okay Commander, I'll be down soon," Lydana said, and Elisa's eyes narrowed slightly. "There's something I need to do first."

"Don't be doing anything stupid, Lyddie – or rather, anything _else_ stupid."

"I'll be fine. Go on ahead, I'll catch up."

With a suspicious glance, Elisa finally gave Lydana one last hug and left the room, leaving Lydana staring at the door.

"Computer," she said aloud, "compile all information from Starfleet records regarding time travel and the so-called 'Mirror Universe', and download it to the terminal in my ready room."

"That information is restricted," the monotone feminine voice announced, and Lydana rolled her eyes. Of course it was.

"Authorisation Kassai-Lima-Two-Zero," she stated, and the computer gave an acknowledging tone.

"Authorisation acknowledged. All relevant information will be downloaded to the ready room terminal."

Lydana allowed herself a small smile as she strode out of the wreckage of her room.

This was not over yet.


End file.
